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Flu hits county
Local pediatricians report 15 cases
Published Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Contributed photo
Washing hands is one of the most important defenses against the influenza virus.
At least 15 Covington County children have tested positive for Type “A” influenza — also known as the “flu” — since Friday.
Dr. Charles Eldridge of Covington Pediatrics said those 15 cases were isolated to two county schools, the names of which were not released because of privacy issues. Influenza can occur any time between November and March and is a “viral infection that spreads from person to person,” Eldridge said.
“And the cases we’re seeing it’s mostly middle schoolers to early high school aged children,” Eldridge said. “They all tested positive for Type A flu and none had a flu shot.”
Symptoms of the flu include fever, headache, dry cough, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose and muscle aches. The virus usually lasts for about a week, he said.
Early reports from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) state this year’s flu vaccine is providing a good defense against the sickness, he said.
“This season has gotten off to a slow start,” he said. “And until this week, there were only reports of the flu in three states. The CDC is saying they believe the flu vaccine may have protected residents. Luckily for us, there have been hardly any reports of it in the county until now.”
Eldridge said the best defense is a good offense.
“The No. 1 way to prevent getting the flu is to get vaccinated,” he said. “Good hand hygiene; taking care of yourself; rest; eating right and staying away from people who are sick are a few other things you can do, but the key is the vaccination.”
The influenza vaccine is recommended for those 6 months old and older.
“We have plenty of them on hand, as do most physicians,” he said. “These vaccines appear to be working on about 75 percent of the strains of influenza.
“If you think you have the flu, the sooner you start the medicine, the more help it will give you,” he said. “The antivirals reduce the symptoms and length of illness, but you have to start it soon after showing symptoms.”
South Alabama Pediatrics reported that it has yet to see any flu cases in Opp.
Comments
Posted by truebeliever (anonymous) on February 11, 2009 at 2:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Could these kids be getting sick because they are staying so cold for so many hours at school each day then coming home to warm homes only to go back to repeat it all again the following day?? Going from one extreme to the other. Kinda sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Posted by rukiddingme (anonymous) on February 11, 2009 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Gee, could these kids be getting sick because; "They all tested positive for Type A flu and none had a flu shot.” DUH! No it's always the schools or someone else's fault. Everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon when it is something negative about the schools, but go to a PTO meeting and see how many people are there
Posted by MommaT (anonymous) on February 11, 2009 at 11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
True they all tested positive for Type A flu, I don't know if they had a flu shot or not, dosen't really matter now. But the fact is they came in contact with it somewere, and probably went to school and while there they possibly may have passed it around. Now the colder temps may be supressing the spread of the flu or it may not we don't know. The fact of the story is be on the lookout, because the FLU is in our neighborhood. Seek medical treatment and don't send your children to school if you think they have the flu, that is what spreads it around. If you have taken the flu vaccination great, does it mean you will not get the flu NO. Use common sense and help prevent the spread of the FLU.
Posted by rukiddingme (anonymous) on February 11, 2009 at 2:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Read the article it says none of the 15 had a flu shot.
Posted by canon09 (anonymous) on February 12, 2009 at 7:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's plain and simple. If your child is running a fever, throwing up, and/or diarrhea during the night and when he/she gets up the next morning; KEEP THEM AT HOME!!! Most school's policies state that a student must be fever-free, throw up-free, and diarrhea-free for 24-48 hours. This is not just with the flu it also goes for these stomach viruses that seem to run like wild fire in the schools each month!
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