LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Health officials are reporting that the cases of seasonal flu are rapidly increasing, and they continue to emphasize prevention – specifically in the form of vaccinations – as the best protection against the illness.
This week, California reached a level of flu cases considered “widespread,” according to Gil Chavez, MD, deputy director and state epidemiologist for the California Department of Public Health's Center for Infectious Diseases.
As of Friday, CDPH had confirmed seven influenza deaths statewide from last September through Jan. 4, with one each in Alameda, Contra Costa, Lassen, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco and Stanislaus counties, Chavez said.
All of the cases were in people under age 65, none of them children. Chavez noted that during the 2009-10 flu pandemic – during which 607 Californians died – flu deaths for those under the age of 65 were made reportable to health agencies.
CDPH is investigating another 28 deaths that may be attributable to flu that were reported after Jan. 4. Chavez anticipated conclusions in those inquiries should be final next week.
Those as-yet unconfirmed cases are believed to include many of the additional deaths around the Bay Area and other parts of the state reported in recent days, including one in neighboring Mendocino County, as Lake County News has reported.
Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait said no flu deaths have occurred locally so far in this flu season.
However, she said that Lake County has had more cases this flu season than during the 2009-10 pandemic, during which there was one flu death.
“This year so far we're aware of three cases requiring intensive care,” said Tait, who asked the local clinical community to notify her office when there are intensive care admissions for flu.
She said the cases occurred in middle-aged people who were not in the typical risk categories – elderly, pregnant or with other health conditions.
Among the local cases, “We are aware of at least one case that was not vaccinated,” she said, adding she believes that CDPH and the Centers for Disease Control will be looking carefully at whether those who fall ill have had the vaccine.
So far this year, the predominant flu strain is H1N1, which can causes severe illness in all age groups, and is more likely than other flu viruses to affect young people and children, as well as pregnant women, Chavez said. The H1N1 strain is contained in the current flu vaccine.
Flu deaths have been occurring earlier this year than normal, Chavez said. CDPH historical data also indicates that there currently are more hospitalizations at this point than expected. California generally sees an increase in cases in late December or early January, and it often peaks in February or March.
“Influenza is very unpredictable,” Chavez explained.
He added that 2014 isn't looking terribly unusual. “We don't think it is a significant deviation but it's just something to keep an eye on.”
The trend in California appears to be similar to that of the rest of the nation. The CDC reported that overall flu activity, with 35 states seeing widespread occurrences of the illness.
Chavez stressed the importance of vaccinations in preventing flu, noting that flu can cause serious illness – even death – in young, normally healthy individuals who don't usually get sick.
He said the that while no vaccine is 100-percent effective, vaccination is the best flu prevention strategy.
While it's hard to predict if the flu season will worsen, the upward trend can be impacted if more people are vaccinated. “I can assure you that the curve will abate,” Chavez said.
Tait pointed out that the flu typically takes a toll across the nation during the winter season; it's estimated that about 25,000 people die annually in the United States because of influenza.
Tait said that flu deaths in younger, typically healthy people often are the result of additional, complicating illnesses like pneumonia or infections like staph. In other cases, a vigorous immune response can lead to inflammatory reactions that contribute to the illness.
The issue of vaccinations has increasingly been met with skepticism by members of the public, a fact Tait recognizes but also feels is potentially dangerous.
“Vaccination is such a powerful tool,” she said.
It's especially important, according to Tait, because antibiotics are less and less effective for some infections, and so it's important to avoid the flu in the first place or help the body fight it off.
“The analysis is always done to make sure the risk of vaccination is less than the risk of having the natural disease,” she said.
Health officials said physicians should be contacted immediately if people in the highest risk groups – the elderly, pregnant women, infants or those with other health conditions – begin to show flu symptoms, which include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue.
For information on local flu vaccinations, call Lake County Public Health at 800-794-9291 or 707-263-1090, or visit the agency online at http://health.co.lake.ca.us/ .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.