Flu season nears its peak; shots can keep the bug at bay

With flu season nearing its seasonal peak, Morgan City primary care doctors and pharmacies are ready to give flu shots to those who have yet to receive them.
Flu season occurs between October and May, and peaks in the United States from December to February.
National Influenza Vaccination Week is Dec. 6-12. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established the week in 2005 to focus on the importance of flu vaccination through the holiday season and beyond.
According to the CDC, Region 6, which covers Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, is above the national baseline of patient visits to health care providers for influenza-like illness at 3.6 percent for 2015-16. It is the highest among all 10 regions in the U.S.
The national baseline is 2.1 percent.
“The flu-like symptoms really aren’t flu,” said CDC Sentinel Physician Robert P. Blereau of Morgan City. “Most of it is due to allergy. At least it starts in allergy with the sinuses or bronchitis.
“We have a lot of allergies around here, much higher than any national level because of all the grasses, weeds, pollen and everything we have around here.
“You know we live in a swamp.”
Currently, few cases of flu have been reported.
“We haven’t seen a positive influx of flu,” said Teche Regional Medical Center Hematology Supervisor Louis Bourgeois.
A few flu cases tested positive three months ago at the Teche Lab, Bourgeois said.
“One case of flu tested positive yesterday,” Bourgeois said.
“We’ve had almost no flu here in the Morgan City area, yet,” Blereau said.
“But the big season is coming up now — December, January and February. That’s when the flu normally hits.
“Vaccination is the only way to prevent the flu with the flu immunization.”
In 2014-15, the CDC reported 147 flu-related pediatric deaths in the U.S. This is an improvement from a 2012-13 report of 171 pediatric deaths.
For 2015-16, as of November, two pediatric deaths have been reported.
Flu shots are recommended for children starting at age 6 months. It’s not recommended for children under 6 months because infants have underdeveloped immune systems.
There is a high-dose flu vaccine option for people 65 and older. It has four times the antigen.
The high-dose vaccine has been shown in studies over the past year or two to give the elderly more protection. They have fewer cases of flu and less flu-related deaths with the high dose vaccine, Blereau said.
The high dose has been out three or four years.
“The older you get, the less responsive your immune system is to developing antibodies,” Blereau said. “So that’s the reason for a higher dose, to stimulate more antibody protection and more overall protection.”
The vaccination takes two weeks to build up antibodies that protect individuals against the flu.
“So, you can’t wait till it hits, then get a flu shot and be protected from it right away,” Blereau said. “That’s why it’s important for people to get the flu shot now if they haven’t had it before.
“It takes a couple of weeks to build up immunity.”
However, there are some instances when a flu shot does not protect individuals from getting the flu.
Flu vaccines contain either three or four of the flu viruses that had been circulating worldwide during the early part of the year. Scientists identify which of the many viruses are going around and make a vaccine out of the ones that are isolated, Blereau said.
If the flu that hits your location is the same one that has been circulating earlier in the year, then you should be well protected against getting that flu.
“But if the virus mutates, that means there’s a change in the virus, then the antibodies produced by the vaccine won’t protect you against that virus,” Blereau said. “You could get the flu.”
Vaccine effectiveness is around 50 to 70 percent, Blereau said.
Many years ago, when flu shots were first available, many people got flu symptoms, including aching, fever and cough, after they got the flu shot. It was believed that it was due to some allergies present in the vaccine that produce symptoms in people.
“Vaccines today are much cleaner, much more purified,” Blereau said. “We see almost none of that.
“A lot of people won’t get the flu vaccine because they say, I get sick with it. Yeah, well, maybe they got sick 20 years ago but if it’s nothing that happens every year in the past few years then they should still get it.”
Flu vaccinations can be administered from any drug store or primary care doctor.
“The important thing is to get it no matter where they go,” Blereau said.
Most health insurance policies cover the flu vaccine. Medicare and Medicaid provide coverage for the vaccination.