Hospitals, doctors keep tabs on cases of the flu

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005 | 7:53 a.m.

Although influenza has invaded Nevada, no cases have been reported yet in Clark County, officials said.

That does not mean, however, that no one in Clark County has had the flu so far this fall.

While health officials cast a wide net among doctors and hospitals in reporting flu cases, individuals who suffer through a few days of the disease without seeking medical help slide through that net, leading to unreported cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that Nevada's flu outbreak to date has been "sporadic," meaning that a handful of cases have been reported throughout the state, said Dr. Thomas Hunt, chairman of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Las Vegas.

Flu has been slow to hit the general public, although most Western states have reported a few cases, Hunt said.

"There's nothing really big going on," Hunt said. At least not yet.

Three types of influenza are expected to appear in the United States this year: Types A/Fujian, A/New Caledonia and B/Shanghai.

Brian Labus, Clark County Health District senior epidemiologist, said flu cases are officially reported in several ways.

State health officials require doctors to report confirmed cases, and a "sentinel influenza system" in Clark County collects weekly reports from doctors and clinics on "flulike" illnesses, including fever, coughing and sore throats. Hospital emergency rooms and clinics also report cases.

The Health District continues to receive sufficient flu vaccine to meet demands, spokesman David Tonelli said, although some doctors' offices have reported delays in receiving vaccine supplies.

In a typical flu season, Clark County's cases peak around the Christmas and New Year's holidays, Tonelli said. In general, flu tapers off by the end of February.

Adults and children who have not received a flu shot this year may visit any of these public health centers operated by the Health District, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays:

* Ravenholt Public Health Center, 625 Shadow Lane, near Charleston and Martin Luther King boulevards.

* East Las Vegas Public Health Center, 560 N. Nellis Blvd., Suite E12.

* Henderson Public Health Center, 129 W. Lake Mead Parkway, Suite 10.

* North Las Vegas Public Health Center, 1820 E. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite F.

For more information on Health District flu clinics and vaccine availability, call the district's flu information line at 385-INFO (4636).

Mary Manning can be reached at 259-4065 or at manning@lasvegassun.com.