West Virginia Department of Health and Human
Resources Information for the Public:
Influenza Surveillance in West
Virginia
How does the West Virginia Department of Health
and Human Resources Influenza Surveillance System work?
West Virginia has three major sources of information
about influenza:
- Influenza-like Illness (ILI) Reporting
:
Every week local health departments collect reports of cases of
"influenza-like illness" from doctors’ offices and clinics.
These totals are reported weekly to the state health department.
Sentinel Provider Surveillance:
Every week during influenza season, a hand full of participating providers
from around the state report the number of patient visits for
influenza-like illness. These providers may also test patients for
influenza.
Virology Surveillance:
Sentinel providers and/or hospital laboratories send specimens to the
WVDHHR Office of Laboratory Services for testing to determine if influenza
A or B is present. These specimens are also subtyped to determine if they
are vaccine-strain.
All of the above systems are important, but each
gives different information. Influenza-like Illness (ILI) reporting and
the Sentinel Provider Surveillance system tell us how much
influenza-like illness is present in our state and where outbreaks
are occurring. Virology Surveillance tells us what type of
influenza virus is causing illness.
Why concern myself with influenza?
Influenza can be a serious illness. Influenza and
pneumonia are the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and
in an average year it is estimated that 36,000 people die of influenza,
and many more are hospitalized. Most public health scientists think we are
overdue for an influenza pandemic. In a pandemic year, the death rate may
rise several-fold.
As time goes on, however, doctors have more and
better ways to treat and prevent influenza. The influenza vaccine is
70-90% effective in preventing illness in individuals less than 65 years
of age. Among the elderly living in nursing homes, the vaccine is 50-60%
effective in preventing hospitalization or pneumonia, and 80% effective in
preventing death. Medications, such as amantadine and rimantadine, are
also effective in preventing influenza A. There is also a new vaccine- the
live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) for use in healthy children and
adults aged 5-49 years. Vaccine efficacy is around 85-90% for LAIV. There
are some restrictions on the use of this vaccine. Talk to your doctor.
In order to effectively protect patients from
influenza, a doctor needs to know if influenza virus is circulating in the
community and whether the circulating strain is covered by the vaccine.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources is making an
effort to get this information to physicians faster than ever before so
they can use the information to protect their patients’ health.
How can I keep from getting the flu?
Get the vaccine. The best time to get the vaccine is
during October and November, but vaccination can continue into December
and later, as long as vaccine is available. The following persons are at
higher risk of complications from influenza and should obtain the
influenza vaccine:
- Persons aged 65 years of age and older;
- Residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care
facilities that house persons of any age who have chronic medical
conditions;
- Adults and children who have chronic disorders of
the pulmonary or cardiovascular systems, including asthma;
- Adults and children who have required regular
medical follow-up or hospitalization during the previous year because
of chronic metabolic diseases (including diabetes mellitus), renal
dysfunction, hemoglobinopathies, or immunosuppression (including
immunosuppression caused by medications or by human immunodeficiency
virus);
- Children and teenagers (aged six months to 18
years) who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy and therefore might
be at risk for developing Reye syndrome after influenza infection;
- Women who will be in the second or third
trimester of pregnancy during the influenza season; and
- Health care workers or individuals who care for
at-risk persons or live in the same household with high risk persons.
The following persons are encouraged to get a
flu shot every year:
- Persons aged 50-64 years of age;
- Healthy children six to 23 months of age, and
their household contacts and out-of-home caretakers;
- Household contacts and out-of-home caretakers of
infants less than six months of age;
- People who provide essential community services;
- People at high risk for flu complications who
travel to Southern hemisphere between April and September, or who
travel to the tropics or in organized tourist groups at any time;
- People living in dormitories or under other
crowded conditions; and
- Anyone who wants to reduce their chance of
catching influenza.
What should I do if the health department
reports influenza in my community and I didn't get the vaccine this year?
In most cases, you can still get the vaccine, even
after influenza season has started. Just remember that it will take two
weeks before the vaccine will protect you, so if you have any of the
health conditions listed above, talk to your doctor. Your doctor may
recommend medication with or without influenza vaccine to protect you
during influenza season.
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