Higher-Than-Normal Flu Cases Reported in Massachusetts, Cape Cod This Winter
This winter, Massachusetts recorded higher-than-normal cases of influenza unrelated to the avian influenza that has dominated media attention over the past several months. According to a Massachusetts Department of Public Health report, 352 people have died from influenza as of data reporting through March 8. Ten of those deaths were in children.
In an interview with Lower Cape Television, Lea Hamner, a contract epidemiologist for the Barnstable County Department of Public Health, discussed the situation with influenza this year, particularly among older adults living on the Cape. “We certainly have an older population than the rest of the state, and so we sometimes do see more severe illnesses for infectious diseases because they could be more medically fragile,” she said.
Hamner also noted that seeing children hospitalized for seasonal flu is alarming, particularly when those cases involve serious complications such as encephalitis. According to CapeCod.gov, “The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has ‘observed a possible increase in the number of cases of children with influenza with neurologic complications compared to prior seasons.'”
The DPH has also observed lower-than-normal vaccination rates against seasonal influenza in certain segments of the population. For example, approximately 39.4% of the state’s residents younger than 65 have received influenza vaccinations.
“There’s a lot to tease through in these cases,” Hamner said. “Epidemiologists do that very systematically, going through the records, going through the risk factors, capturing that information, and then applying statistics to see is that actually indicative of this being the reason or is it a multitude of reasons or can we not figure it out right now and need more information.”
Hamner reminds people to exercise basic hygiene practices. They include staying home if you’re feeling sick, washing your hands frequently with soap, and wearing masks to avoid spreading infections to others.
