Document text
43 °F 5 Day Forecast Saturday, December 13, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 6, 2003 Jed Henderson and his 6-year-old son, James, were at the county health department Friday for another matter but would have taken flu shots, if only they were available. The county has run out of vaccine. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Aches and pains Flu season arrives with a vengeance locally, and it could get worse By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune An unwelcome visitor will be lurking around crowded shopping malls and holiday parties as Southern Oregon gets ready for Christmas. Influenza has surfaced in the Rogue Valley earlier than usual this season, sending scores of people to physicians’ offices and hospital emergency rooms. At least five people have been hospitalized at Rogue Valley Medical Center with flu-like symptoms — high fever, dry cough and overall achiness — since Nov. 23. The flu often does not arrive in Oregon until January or even February, but at least 49 cases, including one in Jackson County, have been confirmed by laboratory analysis. "We think it’s probably everywhere," said Dr. Fred Hoesly of the Oregon Department of Human Services, noting that nearly half the total cases (24) were confirmed in the week that ended Friday. Hoesly said flu has been found in more than a dozen counties, including Multnomah, Lane, Deschutes and nearby Josephine. Advertisement People who still want to get a flu shot may have a hard time finding the vaccine. Most flu-shot clinics are finished, and most of the vaccine that was available already has been used, said Hank Collins, Jackson County’s director of health and human services. Providence Senior Services in Medford has about 800 doses of flu vaccine and will administer them to anyone over age 9 until they are gone, said Kim Ellerbeck, office manager. The flu shots are available from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday at 769 Spring St. There will be a $20 fee for most non-Medicare patients. The influenza virus arrived early all over the northern hemisphere, but reasons for its sudden appearance are in short supply, Hoesly said. "Nobody knows why it appears, when it does or why it goes away when it does." While influenza is typically perceived as an illness of older people, it strikes people of any age. The five people who were admitted to Rogue Valley Medical Center for flu treatment ranged in age from 12 to 78, and two were in their 20s. Hoesly said children are particularly vulnerable, since they have not lived long enough to build up immunity to the virus. "Kids are always coming down with the flu," he said. "They’re one of the major repositories for respiratory diseases." Making effective flu vaccine is difficult because the manufacturing and distribution process requires scientists to make an educated guess months in advance about which strains of the virus are going to appear the following fall. The virus complicates the guessing game by its ability to mutate. "The flu virus is very crafty," said Dr. Kenneth Brown, an emergency-room physician at Providence Medford Medical Center. "It keeps changing." One of those "drift variant" strains, known as A/Fujian, accounts for 71 percent of the viruses that have been analyzed so far this season by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This year’s vaccine includes antigens of three other strains known as A/Moscow, A/New Caledonia, and B/Hong Kong. Even though the vaccine was not designed specifically to thwart the A/Fujian strain, it will still provide some protective immunity, said Susan Patronik, an infection control nurse at Rogue Valley Medical Center. "If you can get a flu shot, we still recommend it," Patronik said. "It’s never 100 percent effective, but if you get the flu, it will probably be less severe. It won’t be as bad as it could be." The virus is easily transmitted. People can become infected by inhaling microscopic droplets that have been expelled by someone who is sick, or by touching something that has been touched by someone who is sick and then rubbing the eyes or touching the nose or mouth. Frequent use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers can help reduce the risk of contracting the virus, Patronik said. Keeping at least three feet away from obviously sick people may help, too, she said. Since the flu is caused by a virus, antibiotics (which attack bacteria) have no beneficial effect against it. Some new antiviral medicines are available, but they must be administered within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms and their net effect may be only to shorten the illness by a day or two. "Unless you catch it in a couple of days, there’s not much you can do," said Brown. People who come down with the flu can expect a week to 10 days of general malaise before it runs its course. If the fever returns with vomiting after the virus seems to have run its course, that could be a sign of bacterial pneumonia, which requires a doctor’s attention. Is it a cold or the flu? Influenza typically announces its arrival with a vague awareness of "not quite feeling right" that rapidly deteriorates into a fever, headache and overall achy feeling. Flu victims often liken their symptoms to "being hit by a truck." The fever that comes with flu can range as high as 102 to 104 degrees and is often accompanied by shivering chills. There is typically a dry, hacking cough and a feeling of congestion in the head. A head cold, by comparison, is almost always confined to the head and upper respiratory system, and includes ample sneezing as well as mucus discharge from the nose. Colds may be accompanied by a low fever (generally 101 degrees or less), but they usually do not produce the overwhelming feeling of malaise that characterizes the flu. A combination of flu symptoms — sustained fever and chills, chest pain that gets worse when taking a deep breath and sputum that’s a yellow color — can indicate pneumonia and a doctor should be consulted. — Staff and wire reports Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times