For a second time this season, the flu is surging, with at least 41 states reporting high or very high levels of the virus.
Emergency room visits for the virus have shot up nearly 30% this week compared to the week before. The increase in cases has led to temporary school closures in places around the country, including in Texas and Tennessee.
Dr. Rabia de Latour, a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Health, told “CBS Mornings Plus” Thursday that recent data show there have been more than 20 million cases, 250,000 hospitalizations and over 11,000 deaths so far this flu season.
“These cases are staggering, but they’re not unlike numbers we saw pre-pandemic,” she said, noting a few factors behind the rise.
“We got a little bit spoiled after the pandemic because of precautions that people were taking (to stop) the spread of coronavirus — we also saw decreased numbers in flu, RSV, the common cold, and what that resulted in is a little bit of an immunity gap,” she said. “Society as a whole is less immune, we have slightly lower vaccination rates, and so our defenses are slightly down.”
Is it too late to get a flu shot?
It’s not too late to get a flu shot — in fact, it is encouraged, according to de Latour.
“The rule of thumb for flu vaccination is: as long as that virus is circulating, you can absolutely get vaccinated,” she said.
Anyone 6 months and older can get vaccinated for the flu, according to longstanding recommendations.
How long is the flu contagious?
In most people who are infected, influenza viruses can be detected starting one day before symptoms begin, and for up to five to seven days after becoming sick.
At-home flu tests, which are somewhat new, can help people determine what illness they have.
“The biggest utility of these is to help you define what you have so that you can prevent the spread,” de Latour said. “I think people are going to be a lot more willing to stay at home and isolate themselves if they have a diagnosis of the flu — to prevent it from getting to people who are immunocompromised in society or at school. So it helps you with information. Information is power.”
While there’s no definitive treatment for the flu, there is a well-known antiviral medication called Tamiflu, which has been found to reduce the duration of symptoms.
“We don’t recommend it for everyone,” de Latour said. “You’re technically eligible if you’re age 2 weeks and older, but we tend to recommend for people who are high risk — immunocompromised, very young children, pregnant women, people who have severe comorbidities like heart disease or diabetes, and you’re at risk for getting pneumonia or getting sicker from the flu.”
Whooping cough cases also on the rise
The flu isn’t the only illness surging in the country. The U.S. has recorded a fourth straight week of accelerating pertussis or whooping cough infections, according to figures published late Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cases nationwide are up 27% from the week before, the data shows.
Whooping cough is especially dangerous for infants and young children because of their small airways.
“The reason why it’s called whooping cough — it’s a cough, cough, cough, cough, and then they gasp for air, that’s the whoop,” CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook previously said on “CBS Mornings Plus.” “As an adult, when you get it, you may be sick, but probably going to be OK in terms of moving air in and out of your body. With infants, airways are so small that they can really have trouble breathing at all.”
An effective vaccine for whooping cough is part of a combined vaccine called Tdap, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. But babies can’t get it until they’re 2 months old, leaving the youngest infants vulnerable.
“So until then, you’re really relying on the adults being immunized,” LaPook said.
