Flu bug starting to hit South Lake Tahoe

Runny and stuffy nose, fever and chills, body and headaches, cough and sore throat, tiredness. Have these symptoms? You might have the flu.

You don't have to go far in South Lake Tahoe before you come across someone who is sick, and the flu season is just beginning. Evidence points to high or widespread flu activity in 43 states including Nevada, and it's just now entering California.

According to Alpine County Public Health, most strains identified so far have been of the H3N2 variety, which is associated with more severe illness and death, especially among the old and young children. If this trend continues, this could be a severe flu season. Instead of the usual peak in mid-February, it appears that flu activity may peak a month earlier this year, in mid-January.

"We are seeing lots of seasonal flu symptoms in the Emergency Department and Urgent Care," Vicki McKenna, MSN, RN, CDE Infection Preventionist at Barton Health told South Tahoe Now. "Of the flu patients that test positive, it is predominantly the A strain. This is the strain that is generally responsible for large flu epidemics and tends to be a more severe than the B strain."

El Dorado County keeps only the records of flu sufferers that have severe cases and end up in the ICU, and that hasn't happened so far. Olivia Bryon-Cooper, Epidemiologist for El Dorado County said it's hard for her department to track flu figures because most people don't go in and get tested. "Flu is starting to pick up," Bryon-Cooper said. "We had one outbreak in the Tahoe area and we're expecting flu activity to hit hard in the coming months."

"It looks like we are seeing more cases than last year," said Beth Brown, RN, Director of Nursing at the Emergency Department. "In the Emergency Department, we are seeing three to six cases each day that test positive for flu."

South Lake Tahoe schools are seeing some students missing school because of the flu. South Tahoe Middle school has had confirmed flu cases, Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School has seen an uptick in the number of kids out as have the other elementary schools, but numbers are still in the average range for this time of year. Sierra House Elementary staff says they had more people sick just prior and during the holiday break.

Dr. Lance Orr from Barton Health covered the myths and facts of flu in an article on South Tahoe Now a few weeks ago. He said that the best protection against the flu is a flu vaccine, accompanied with frequent and thorough hand washing. It isn't too late to get a flu shot. They are available at many places including the El Dorado County Health Department on Johnson Blvd.

"I can’t emphasize enough that if you get the flu, stay home," said McKenna. "Don’t go to work, school, social engagements, or other public places. Avoid travelling. A person with the flu is contagious from one day prior to the onset of symptoms until five to seven days after the onset of symptoms."

Since influenza is a virus and antibiotics, designed to kill bacteria, are not effective to treat flu, there isn't a lot one can do once they get the flu though, if diagnosed early enough, Tamiflu may be effective. If you have the flu the best thing to do is get rest and drink plenty of fluids.