Flu hits hard in Canada and US

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. PICTURE / GETTY IMAGES

If only the flu flew away…
But that is not likely to happen as both Canada and the USA are suffering at this time from the influenza virus in what public health experts are saying is an unusually active and dangerous flu season with many distinct strains likely to kill thousands across North America.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this is the first time in the 13 years that the organisation has been using their current tracking system that the flu activity is across the entire continental US. It is among the public health community's greatest concerns as it is easily communicable and infects tens if not hundreds of millions of people across the globe every year.

The flu season has been getting worse since the New Year began and three different strains of the virus have been identified and are being transmitted.

Each state and province is on the alert for recurring activity and cases involving both sickness and death have shown this is a particularly dangerous year for all people, whether infant or elderly and even for those who normally are not in those age brackets.
Pharmacies have seen a dramatic increase for Tamiflu, a prescription medication that can lessen the flu's impact if taken within 48 hours of when symptoms start and some pharmacies have temporarily run out of products that combat the flu.

According to the Center for Disease Control flu viruses are named for the types of proteins on the surfaces of virus particles — there are 16 different hem agglutinin [H] proteins and 11 different neuraminidase [N] proteins. This year apparently the most common strain going around is H3N2 which is a strain known to cause nastier than usual symptoms. It is difficult to stamp out because it is less susceptible to a vaccine than other strains. In the 2014-2015 season about 700,000 Americans were hospitalised with flu-like illnesses. Predictions for this season are markedly higher as the virus sweeps across the country, and through January there have been at least 40 child deaths related to the virus. As well as children it is pregnant women and those over 65 who have heart conditions who are most susceptible.

The most worrying aspect is that with just a couple of mutations this flu could present a risk of a global pandemic that could kill millions of people in a matter of months before a vaccine could even be developed.

The medical community has issued the following guidelines for both North America and the global community in an effort to stop the spreading of the flu.
■ 1. The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone six months and older.
■ 2. Wash hands thoroughly and frequently and avoid touching your face.
■ 3. Avoid close contact with sick people.
■ 4. If you or a child is sick, stay home.
■ 5. Sneeze into a handkerchief or your elbow but not your hand.
■ 6. Cover your mouth and nose.
■ 7. Consider fist bumps instead of handshakes.
■ 8. Stay well rested and well hydrated.
■ 9. Take Tamiflu with 48 hours of noticing flu symptoms.

Common sense but that in itself is generally in short supply nowadays, but hopefully the warning is enough for folks to be prepared for the upcoming winter season.