Flu season has arrived with a vengeance and the head of the infectious disease department at one Kansas City-area hospital expects it to be a bad one. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kansas is already experiencing a widespread influenza outbreak, and Missouri isn't far behind. Wards at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City are full. Doctors said a third of the patients there are suffering from the flu.
The most prevalent strain of flu this year is H1N1, the same strain that was widespread throughout the nation in 2009. Officials at Children's Mercy Hospital said this outbreak is hitting about a month earlier than typical years, and it's already showing its might in all age groups, especially in otherwise healthy adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s. "This year, what I've noticed is that the peak is very steep and I do not think it's gotten to the top yet," said Dr. Mary Anne Jackson, the infectious disease director of Children's Mercy Hospital. "It might actually spike, plateau off, and then we'll slowly come back down. My estimate is that our peak will come in mid-January, and so we still have a lot of patients to take care of and time to intervene with vaccines."
Experts said most people have not yet been vaccinated for the flu. Only about 40 percent of children and adults have received vaccinations this year. Jeff Hershberger of the Kansas City Health Department said it's important not to put it off any longer. "We actually so far this flu season have had over 1,000 cases of flu reported to us already," he said. "We only have reports through the 22nd of December, but even in that week, we had over 400 cases reported to us, so the flu is out there. It's really important to get the flu vaccine before they get exposed." He said there is still plenty of vaccine available at doctor's offices and local health departments.
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