Flu Patients Continue to Fill Doctors' Offices

This flu season is different than previous years because of the sheer volume of people who are getting sick, some very sick.

Cartersville Medical Center through mid January had admitted about 50 patients this season who tested positive for flu, said spokesman Ginger Tyra.

"[It] is significant because according to our director of infection control, patients with flu are typically treated on an outpatient basis and not hospitalized," Tyra said. "This number speaks to just how very sick our flu patients have been this year."

Dr. Richard Ellin, who works at Kaiser Permanente Medical Offices in nearby Alpharetta, said in the past two or three years, he'd see the occasional flu patient, maybe one or two a week.

"This year, we are seeing anywhere from three to six a day and that's just me," Dr. Ellin said. "Fifteen to twenty percent of my day is the flu or complications from the flu.

"Another thing is, we are seeing many more people who have got the flu shot who have gotten the flu," he said.

"It's prevalent throughout metro Atlanta, and really throughout Georgia, and really pretty much throughout the whole country," he said.

CDC Says the Flu Season Is Still Here

Almost every state in the country has been hit harder than it has in several years, Dr. Ellin said. He's not aware anybody or any hospital has declared a state of emergency like has happened in the northeast, but it's definitely hit very hard here.

The Trust for America's Health found fewer than half of Americans ages 6 months and older were vaccinated against the flu in the last two flu season (2010-11 and 2011-12). In Georgia, the numbers are even worse, with only 38.5 percent of state residents getting flu shots. Seniors age 65 and older are in the only age group with more than 50 percent of the population getting inoculated. The state ranks 18th with 68.6 percent of seniors getting flu shots.

"Me and my colleagues talk about this all the time because we are really puzzled why it's so low," Dr. Ellin said.

The doctor said he could only speculate, but part of the low figures could be because the last three or four winters had mild flu seasons. After several mild seasons, people are less likely to get a flu shot.

"I know there are some people who think that getting a flu shot can give them the flu, or make them sick," Dr. Ellin said.

There is no way the flu shot can give you the flu, he said. The state is also more socially conservative and independent minded – "nobody is going to tell me what to do, whether it's my government, my doctor or my spouse."

While the flu season generally starts around November or so, but it usually lasts until March or April, and sometimes until May. It takes about two weeks for the flu shot to provide protective immunity, Dr. Ellin said. Even getting a shot now still gives months of protection, he said.

About two out of three people this year who get the flu shot are not going to get the flu, Dr. Ellin said. The pros and cons still weigh heavily in your favor in getting the shot.

How else can a person avoid the flu?

• "The most important thing is to wash their hands frequently, either with soap and water or hand sanitizer," he said.
• "If they know somebody who has the flu, stay away for the first two or three days, at least until symptoms stop," Dr. Ellin said.

If a person thinks they have the flu, they should call their doctor to decide if they have the flu or not. Dr. Ellin said they try to keep people with flu out of the office unless it's necessary to avoid getting others sick. But they do have medicine to help in the first 48 hours. Tamiflu works pretty well to minimize the symptoms and shorten the duration.

"People should remember that the flu is potentially very serious. Every year people die from the flu. It's not always the very young or very old," Dr. Ellin said. "Every fall they should get a flu shot."

You may also be interested in:

• Flu: Nearly 4 in 10 Vaccinated Will Still Get It if Exposed to Virus
• How To Avoid Getting Sick with the Flu
• The Season Is Here: Where to Get Flu Shots in Cartersville