Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004 | 11:19 a.m.
Flu season has officially arrived.
That's the word from the Clark County Health District, but it's something Las Vegas area residents suffering from fevers, stuffy noses, coughs and sore throats might have already known.
It was a spike in those symptoms that led to the health district's announcement, spokesman David Tonelli said. Only two cases of the flu have actually been confirmed, and that was back in November.
But because most flu victims don't go to the doctor and those who do are rarely tested for the virus, the health district monitors the number of patients visiting medical facilities with fevers of 101 degrees or higher, coughs or sore throats, Tonelli said.
"When we see an increase in flu symptoms we know that flu season is here," Tonelli said.
Flu-like symptoms peaked above the normal baseline for the first time this season on Monday and Tuesday, senior epidemiologist Brian Labus said.
The baseline is the normal amount of flu-like symptoms a medical facility might see during non-flu season, which this past summer was about five cases a day, Labus said. Most facilities just barely passed that line Monday.
"We are at the very early stage of the influenza season, but we wanted to notify the medical community, and the community at large, that influenza season is here," Labus said.
"We're still way below the peak but we are above normal."
At the height of flu season last year, medical facilities were typically seeing 25 cases a day, and the year before they saw about 13 cases a day when the flu season peaked. It's possible that some of the cases may have been something other than the flu, like Strep throat or a cold.
The health district monitors the flu season based on symptoms because they don't want to wait for the tests to come back if there is a major surge in cases and because most doctors don't typically perform the throat swab necessary to confirm a patient's symptoms are indeed influenza, Labus said.
"For their purposes, if it looks like influenza it probably is," Labus said. "The test really doesn't change the outcome for the patient so a lot of doctors don't see it as a necessary part of treating a patient for flu."
The tests are used more to understand that season's virus from a public health perspective, Labus said. Officials need to know how prevalent the virus is, what strands are being passed around and whether those strands are protected by the available vaccine.
The tests can come in handy for patient treatment in the first 48 hours, Labus said, when doctors need to know what kind of flu the patient has in order to administer anti-viral medicine.
The medicine, which must be prescribed by a physician, shortens the duration and severity of the flu, protecting the patient's health and the community's at large because there is less chance that the virus will be spread, Labus said.
The increase in flu-like symptoms has led health officials to reiterate their call for individuals to practice good health habits.
Most of the tips are "common sense practices," Labus said, "The things you're told in kindergarten and should have been following your whole life but you don't."
At the top of this list is avoiding sick people if you are well and staying home if you are sick, Labus said.
"If you are going to work sick or going to school sick all you are doing is making a lot of other people sick," Labus said.
Next to that, "washing your hands is the best way to prevent the flu," Labus said.
Cover your nose or mouth with a tissue when coughing and sneezing, and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth can also prevent the spread of the disease.
There is still flu vaccine available for high-risk adults and children at the Ravenholt Public Center at 625 Shadow Lane. The immunization clinic is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For more information on the vaccine, call 385-INFO (4636).
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