By Jordan Green
BAY CITY — Stock up on your portable hand sanitizers and pocket tissues. This flu season could be hitting the nation hard.
In fact, it’s on track to be the deadliest on record, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last season’s virus was the deadliest in more than 40 years.
Data from the CDC reveals that the flu afflicted at least 6.4 million people so far this season, with more than 2,900 deaths this year.
On Jan. 10, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released a statement declaring Michigan’s first two pediatric flu deaths of the 2019-2020 season.
The influenza virus is a respiratory illness affecting the nose, throat and occasionally the lungs. The virus can cause mild to severe illness and, at times, death.
“The common symptoms are chills, fever, fatigue and headaches,” says Diamond Roby, pharmacist at the Walgreens on Euclid Ave in Bay City. “You won’t feel like doing anything.”
Roby recommends that you should seek care from a local RediMed, urgent care or your doctor’s office if you think you have the flu. The sooner you can get tested and use medication, the better the outcome.
“It won’t stop the flu, but it will help with the symptoms,” says Roby.
The CDC warns that people with influenza can be contagious for up to 5-7 days after contracting the infection, making it difficult to contain before it wreaks havoc.
Employees and students often attend their jobs or classes while sick, in fear of missing hours and falling behind in school.
Nicole Ortega, a nursing student at Delta College, says she still attends class and work when she gets sick, because there is no choice.
“I have to go to work to pay bills and if I miss a class, I’ll fail the course,” says Ortega.
“Definitely, people are afraid to call off work because they don’t want to lose time or money and [then] they pass the infection on to other employees,” says Roby.
Healthline reports that $16.3 billion dollars are lost in earnings annually as a cause from the seasonal influenza. Every year, influenza costs Americans $10.4 billion dollars in hospitalizations and outpatient visits according to the CDC.
