"With months left of flu season, influenza cases are on the rise in California and transmission is high in the Bay Area, data shows. Doctors at local hospitals are busy treating flu patients or those with complications such as pneumonia and heart issues. They're encouraging residents to keep themselves and their neighbors healthy by getting vaccinated which reduces the risk of serious illness washing their hands, and, in crowded settings, wearing masks."
"I don't think we're out of the woods yet, said Rakesh Chaudhary, physician-in-chief at Kaiser Permanente's Santa Clara Medical Center. Flu season started slowly in California this year. But after people gathered for the holidays, doctors and nurses at Kaiser San Jose Medical Center began noticing more patients sick with the flu or related complications, said Patrick Whiteley, the hospital's chief of emergency medicine."
"Now, the 36-bed emergency department is seeing more than 260 patients a day, he said. Among them are many children sick with flu or its complications, Whiteley said. Statewide data shows the San Jose hospital is no outlier. The percentage of positive flu tests surged from single digits to nearly 20% during the holidays. After a dip in January, cases spiked again and hit a seasonal high this week, the data shows."
"Until the recent surge, this flu season, which started in fall and will end in spring, had been milder in California than the previous season. With cases now on the rise, children, older adults and those with compromised immune systems have an increased risk of serious illness, doctors and public health experts said. Flu can be deadly, said Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco who specializes in treating infectious diseases. It's deadly every year."
Influenza cases are rising in California and transmission is high in the Bay Area. Hospitals are treating increasing numbers of flu patients and people with complications such as pneumonia and heart problems. Health professionals recommend vaccination, handwashing, and masks in crowded settings to reduce serious illness risk. After holiday gatherings, Kaiser San Jose's 36-bed emergency department began seeing more than 260 patients daily, including many children. Positive flu tests rose from single digits to nearly 20% during the holidays; cases dipped in January then spiked to a seasonal high. Children, older adults, and immunocompromised people face higher risk; influenza spreads via coughs, sneezes, and contaminated surfaces and can be deadly each year.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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