Early flu shots urged as season sees first case

Get that flu shot now or start stockpiling sick time for later.

The Spokane Regional Health District has confirmed its first local case of influenza this winter season. A man in his mid-40s is the unlucky first victim, and health officials are urging people to get flu shots before the height of the flu season hits.

“It’s perfect timing to get a flu shot because it’s just starting in the community,” said Julie Graham, spokeswoman for the Spokane Regional Health District.

The flu season can begin any time between October and December, and typically lasts through February.

So far no flu cases have been confirmed in North Idaho, said Jeff Lee, a registered nurse and staff epidemiologist with Panhandle Health District.

Lee is monitoring results from six hospital labs and two family clinics, and is tracking absenteeism at some schools to keep a handle on the situation.

“I would expect to see a few cases here or there in the next couple of weeks,” he said.

Flu isn’t a reportable disease, said Donn Moyer, a spokesman with the Washington Department of Health. But the department tries to track where influenza is taking hold each season.

“There is virtually no flu activity across the state. There are just a handful of cases,” Moyer said.

That will change soon. Cases typically peak in January, he said.

Flu experts say the best prevention is a flu shot. Though they aren’t guaranteed to stop every kind of flu, the vaccines are developed each year to tackle the strains of flu expected to be most common.

“The indications right now are that the vaccine is a good match for the circulating strains,” Graham said.

The Health District is able to offer a special price for FluMist spray – a painless vaccine – through a Washington program to encourage more families to vaccinate their children. The Panhandle Health District is also offering the mist through a similar Idaho program.

Health experts worry that people don’t take the flu seriously enough.

“People think the flu is the same thing as a typical cold, but worse. But it can be really serious,” Graham said. “Typically people recover within a week or two, but unfortunately some people get very, very ill, and some die.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 36,000 people die of flu complications and 114,000 are hospitalized nationwide each year.

Spokane Regional Health District Epidemiologist Dorothy MacEachern said many people confuse the flu with a cold. While the common cold involves coughing and nasal congestion, people can recognize the flu by high fever and painful body aches.

MacEachern said those who get the flu should rest at home. “At least if you’ve got it, keep it to yourself,” she said.

“It’s really important that people start thinking about it now,” Moyer said.

“If you wait until people all around you are getting sick, it’s too late.”