RESOURCES:
Washtenaw County Health Department
Washtenaw County Health Department Contact Info
TRANSCRIPTION:
Caroline MacGregor: You're listening to 89.1 WEMU. I'm Caroline MacGregor. My guest today is Beth-Ann Hamilton. She's the communications coordinator with the Washtenaw County Health Department. And we're catching up on this season's flu, which happens to be strain A. And, of course, flu is an extremely infectious disease, and it's striking very hard this year. So far, we have reports that at least 15 million Americans have come down with the flu around the country. And there have been several deaths. Also, hospitalizations due to the flu are on the rise. And while this year's particular strain is causing a lot of illness, it's not necessarily more severe. It's just that we are seeing more mutations that are different from what was expected and what is in the current vaccine. First of all, thank you for joining us today, Beth!
Beth-Ann Hamilton: Thank you for having me!
Caroline MacGregor: Tell me about this year is flu strain, if you would.
Beth-Ann Hamilton: So, we had a really severe flu season last year as well. It's looking like we're on track for another pretty tough flu season. Right now, we have a lot of influenza B being detected in our wastewater in Ann Arbor and Ypsi, and a decent bit of influenza A as well, so it looks like both B and A here, locally.
Caroline MacGregor: What are the reports so far with regards to....are we seeing more serious illness developed from this year's strain of flu?
Beth-Ann Hamilton: I'm not sure that we're seeing more serious illness specifically related to this strain, but we definitely have seen a big spike in our local hospitalizations. So, we've had 136 total hospitalizations since flu season started in the fall, and this previous week that we just reported on was by far the highest. We had nearly 50 hospitalizations in the previous week.
Caroline MacGregor: And what are the recommendations for people with regards to the vaccine? Because we are hearing that this year's vaccine is not adequate for this strain of flu.
Beth-Ann Hamilton: Yeah. So, we get a new flu vaccine every year. Flu is a virus that mutates often. So, unfortunately, the flu vaccine that was developed for this season, there was a mutation right after, which is just unlucky, honestly. But even though it's not a perfect match for this current strain, it still provides protection against severe illness. That's not a reason to not get a vaccine. It's still recommended for everybody six months and older. And really, it's one of our best tools for preventing serious illness and the kind of sick that puts you in the hospital.
Caroline MacGregor: If you're just joining us, my guest today is Beth-Ann Hamilton. She's the communications coordinator for the Washtenaw County Health Department. And we are here today to discuss flu and how not to get sick. And Beth-Ann will be talking about some of the options available to people to remain safe and healthy. What are the age recommendations for this vaccine currently? You know, we're seeing an awful lot of change coming down through the CDC with recommendations. How is the health department handling this, as far as communicating to the public?
Beth-Ann Hamilton: Yeah. So, really, it shouldn't be confusing because it's just anybody six months and older. Those are the recommendations for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Those are recommendations we've had for years. And that's the guidance that we're giving people. So, especially for little kids, the flu can be really serious for young children. It really can be very serious.
Caroline MacGregor: There have been reports of children dying from flu in different states nationally. This is obviously quite alarming for parents and for the public in general. What are we seeing here in Michigan with regards to cases among children currently?
Beth-Ann Hamilton: I can say that, in Michigan, we haven't had any pediatric deaths so far this season. I do know that, last year in Washtenaw County, we unfortunately did have one child who died from flu, along with 26 adults who had flu-associated deaths. So, I think people think about the flu, and they maybe don't take it very seriously. But it really can be tough. And even if it doesn't land you in the hospital, it's not a fun illness to have. You might miss work, it keeps kids home from school, and it really could just be very disruptive.
Caroline MacGregor: If you're just joining us, my guest today is Beth-Ann Hamilton. She's the communications coordinator for the Washtenaw County Health Department. And we're talking about this year's flu strain, which is causing a lot of misery for people. And it's also a dangerous virus. And Beth is here today to discuss the best way to remain safe and healthy. And she's here to provide some tips. I mean, it sounds like there are warnings that these viruses that are going around are very serious and dangerous, even life-threatening for some, those who are immune-compromised, or the young, the elderly. What precautions, along with the vaccine, can people take?
Beth-Ann Hamilton: That's for sure. So, in addition to getting your flu shot, if you haven't already, if you do get sick, please stay home and away from others. That's one of the best tools that we have to just prevent the spread of illness is just staying away from other people when you're sick. And you also can wear a mask in crowded indoor spaces for even more protection. We know that masking is really helpful for just giving some extra protection. And I think one other thing I wanted to touch on, too, is just a reminder that if you are sick with flu symptoms, you should talk to your health care provider right away. There are antiviral medications that can help you get better faster and avoid getting really sick, but it's important to get those started very soon after you start getting sick. And this is especially important, like we talked about, if you're at higher risk of severe illness. So, if you're an adult who's 65 or older, kids under five, if you're pregnant or if you have chronic conditions, don't mess around with flu. Go ahead and talk to a health care provider, so that you can get any care that you might need.
Caroline MacGregor: Okay. And we are getting reports that there is a surge in Michigan. It's quite high, and it's the flu season has hit harder and earlier than it typically does. Is this correct?
Beth-Ann Hamilton: You know, so, locally, we expect to see a spike after the holidays. We've seen that for the past couple of seasons. So, we're not very surprised about that. We know that flu vaccination rates are low, which is not good. That contributes to people getting sick and getting more severely sick. So, I don't think it's entirely surprising, but we hope that it encourages people to get their flu vaccine if they haven't already. Here in Washtenaw, we see cases sometimes through April. So, it's really not too late to go ahead and get some of that protection on board, so that you're protected for the next couple of months.
Caroline MacGregor: If you're just joining us, my guest today is Beth-Ann Hamilton. She's the communications coordinator for the Washtenaw County Health Department. And we're talking about this year's flu strain, which is causing a lot of misery for people. And it's also a dangerous virus. And Beth is here today to discuss the best way to remain safe and healthy. And she's here to provide some tips. I know that there have been quite a few reports of visits to the ER here in Washtenaw County, in Michigan, generally speaking, as well as around the country. And it sounds like keeping up to date on your flu vaccine and taking as many preventative measures as possible is the way to remain healthy.
Beth-Ann Hamilton: Yes. I would just emphasize too that the thing about flu vaccines is they're really to keep people out of the hospital and to keep people alive. So, it's much more about preventing severe illness than preventing individual sickness, right? Like, even if you get a flu vaccine, you still might get flu, but the chances are that you'll be much less sick and you'll probably recover faster. So, yeah. I feel like people will say like, "Oh, well. I still got the flu." And it's hard to get your brain around the fact that, yes, you might have still gotten the flu, but you were probably a lot less sick than you would have if you were unvaccinated.
Caroline MacGregor: With regards to hospitalizations in Washtenaw County, what have you been seeing so far as far as the numbers go?
Beth-Ann Hamilton: Yes. Yeah. So, in the previous week that we just reported on, we had just under 50 hospital admissions, new hospital admissions, for flu. So, most of those are in older adults, 65 and up, but we also did have one of those people was a child under five.
Caroline MacGregor: This seems to be a pretty nasty season for the flu. I think the main message is that it is serious, especially for the elderly and younger, for children and those who are immune compromised. To wrap up, what tips would you offer people?
Beth-Ann Hamilton: Thank you. Yeah, I would just say get that flu vaccine if you haven't already gotten one this season. As a reminder, it's an annual vaccine, so you have to get one every year. If you got one last year, it's probably not doing you much good this season. If you haven't gotten a flu vaccine this season, it's not too late to go ahead and get one. And then, I just remind people that we have local health data on our website at washtenaw.org/health. We send out a weekly newsletter with local data updates. And we can just continue to keep people informed on our website and social media and newsletter.
Caroline MacGregor: Okay, thank you. My guest today has been Beth-Ann Hamilton. She's the communications coordinator for the Washtenaw County Health Department. And we've been discussing flu, which is surging this season right here in Michigan and Washtenaw County. And we're just been discussing some tips to stay healthy. Thanks, Beth-Ann, for joining me today!
Beth-Ann Hamilton: Thank you for having me!
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