Flu is peaking early in the Northwest. Public health officials are urging everyone to take action to protect themselves from the active strain.
KNKX's Gary Davis spoke with Dr. Helen Chu, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Washington.
To hear this interview click “Listen” above
Interview Highlights
An early outbreak
There are three types of flu that we are worried about. There's flu H3N2, flu H1N1, and flu B. And right now we're seeing an uptick in the numbers of cases of flu H1N1 in the community. The Pacific Northwest usually sees flu (peaking) in December/January. So the fact that we're seeing a surge in the cases in early fall is highly unusual. We tend to see viruses come back with back to school. Vaccine rates have gone down over the years, and so it could be that more of the population is susceptible. It could be that this new flu that's circulating may have a mutation that many people are not immune to.
A home-administered flu vaccine
This is the FluMist, which is the nasal spray vaccine. It's a live attenuated vaccine, so it's a weakened form of the virus, and now you can order that to self-administer at home or to administer to your child. It’s great because you just go to the website, order the vaccine. It gets delivered to your house, and you follow the instructions, and you spray it up your nose. The nice thing about it is then you don't need to make an appointment in a clinic to get your flu vaccine.
On getting evidence-based vaccine information
I think it's just a very complicated, chaotic time federally, and it's very hard for the average patient to figure out what to do. Fortunately, on the West Coast, we have professional organizations who have aligned and made very clear recommendations. Providers are following those recommendations, and those are evidence-based. I think the best thing for any patient right now is to talk to their provider. They can also go on the website for Washington state or California, Oregon, and look up the guidelines. And those are all highly aligned with the professional organizations.
