NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Keep those tissues handy. The CDC says the flu is continuing to spread. Seasonal flu activity is up in most of the country, with the southeast seeing the most cases!
The strain is called Influenza A and it's fueling this spread in both adults and kids. Doctors have known about this for some time now. Since Christmas, flu numbers have kept going up.
The cases in children have really been going up over the past month. This season alone, three children have died from the flu in Tennessee. Because we're now seeing this different strain take over, doctors are encouraging people who haven't been vaccinated yet to do so.
Even if you had the flu earlier this season, you could still get infected with a different strain.
"The strain that's circulating is an H1N1 which is like pandemic flu that we talked about 2009. That strain has been in the vaccine since 2009. So, it was a good match. If you were vaccinated this year, you had good coverage against this particular strain," said Dr. Jill Roberts of the USF College of Public Health.
Doctors say most people have adjusted their behaviors back to what they used to do before the pandemic which is why they believe we've seen such an active respiratory season. You're most likely to catch the flu by touching an infected object, so doctors say to make sure you're washing your hands and being mindful of the things you come in contact with.
Most of the time flu activity peaks between December and February, although significant activity can last as late as May.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
