Flu season is in full swing and Santa Barbara County health officials are warning residents that there has been an uptick in cases compared with the past few years.
Hospitalizations from influenza are up, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the first week of February, the agency reported that the virus activity was higher than the average flu season and higher than previous peak years during 2015-16 and 2010-11.
“This is one of the most significant influenza seasons that we have had in many years,” said Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, the medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at Cottage Health. “We’re seeing a lot of respiratory viruses right now, but we are specifically seeing a lot of influenza both in the community and around the hospital also.”
One of the reasons that Fitzgibbons believes the influenza virus returned with such an impact was the rise of COVID-19 in 2020. Due to the fact that the coronavirus was infectious, and people took steps to avoid it, other diseases also declined.
Since then, the influenza virus has returned and seems to be a stronger strain than in previous years, officials said. Complicating matters more is the spread of three other viruses — COVID-19, RSV and norovirus — which is being called a “quad-demic.”
“Those four viruses are all viruses that we see commonly, but to see them all kind of start to really surge together, I think got a lot of people’s attention,” Fitzgibbons said.
Another issue Fitzgibbons noted is the lack of vaccinations. Compared with previous years, fewer people seem to be getting an annual flu shot.
With the stronger strain, Cottage Health and other local hospitals have seen an uptick in patients who have been admitted because of the virus.
Some patients are admitted to the hospital because their symptoms have become severe enough to need treatment. Other patients are testing positive for the virus even if they are seeking treatments for other illnesses or injuries.
There have been 20 influenza-associated deaths this season in the county, according to Public Health.
The flu season also has hit kids harder than average years. According to the CDC, there have been 68 pediatric influenza-related deaths this season in the United States.
Despite the uptick in hospitalizations, Fitzgibbons said local hospitals have been able to handle the extra patients. She said hospitals learned how to adapt better to infectious diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic and are well-prepared to handle the current flu season.
The Santa Barbara County Health Department is also tracking influenza. According to Dr. Henning Ansorg, the public health officer, the department regularly tests wastewater to check how much of the virus shows up.
Based on the tests, Ansorg said wastewater samples show the virus is not showing up more than normal.
The tests do not indicate how severe the virus is or how many hospitalizations are occurring but do give Public Health an idea of whether the flu season is on track to end along its normal cycle. Flu season tends to last from October to May.
Ansorg said the current flu season seems to be normal in terms of duration.
“That’s why we call it seasonal influenza,” Ansorg said. “It appears in the late fall, peaks in the winter and then goes down.”
He also encouraged residents to get flu shots and take precautions to avoid spreading the disease further, such as washing hands, covering their mouth and nose when sneezing, and staying home when feeling sick.
Below are some tips from the Santa Barbara County Health Department to avoid getting sick. To learn more about the influenza virus and how to prevent the spread of diseases, visit the county webpage here.
- Avoid close contact: Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick, too.
- Stay home when you are sick: If possible, stay home from work, school and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.
- Cover your mouth and nose: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk.
- Clean your hands: Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
- Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives. Click here for tips on hand-washing and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth: Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth.
- Practice other good health habits: Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food.