Summer update on flu-like illnesses from MIT Medical
Number of new cases down statewide; illness levels still higher than normal
July 1, 2009
In a recent update, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) reported that for the week ending June 13, the number of individuals seeking medical attention for influenza-like illness had decreased for the first time since the agency confirmed the state’s initial cases of H1N1 in early May. However, the report emphasized, Massachusetts continues to experience levels of flu-like illness well above what is normally seen at this time of year. Although health care providers in the U.S. are no longer routinely performing influenza tests on patients with flu-like symptoms, it is believed that most new flu cases are due to the H1N1 strain.
Number of pediatrics flu cases tapering off
According to the DPH, school-age children in the state were “disproportionately impacted by H1N1 flu,” and, not surprisingly, MIT Medical’s Pediatrics Service saw a number of children with flu-like illnesses. “For a while, we were getting several new cases a week,” notes Chief of Pediatrics Jocelyn Joseph, M.D. So far, all the children who became ill with influenza-like symptoms have recovered without any major complications, she reports. “It’s definitely tapering off at this point,” she continues. “Now we’re back to getting phone calls about more typical seasonal ailments, like spring colds, allergies, and poison ivy.”
MIT Medical has also seen or heard from a number of adult patients with flu-like symptoms over the last month and a half, says Infection Control Coordinator Jacqueline Sherry, A.N.P-B.C. “It’s more than we’d normally see this time of year,” she says, “but so far, most of the cases here have been relatively mild, and affected individuals have typically recovered without medical intervention.”
Most patients with flu-like symptoms—fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue—will not need medical attention, emphasizes Chief of Medicine Howard Heller, M.D., an infectious disease specialist. “If you are sick, stay home and rest. You do not need to be seen unless your symptoms are severe, or unless you are pregnant or have an underlying chronic medical condition that puts you at higher risk of serious complications from the flu,” he explains. “You may call and ask your provider to suggest over-the-counter medications for treating your symptoms, but you do not need to report your illness to anyone at MIT Medical.” To avoid spreading the illness to others, the DPH recommends that individuals who become sick with a flu-like illness avoid close contact with other people until seven days after their first symptoms appeared, or until at least 24 to 48 hours after all their symptoms resolve, whichever is longer.
Develop good flu-prevention habits now, doctor says
Heller urges people in the community to follow the same infection-control practices they would use during the normal cold and flu season. “Clean your hands frequently and thoroughly, cover your coughs and sneezes, and avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth,” he suggests. “It’s also good practice to disinfect commonly touched hard surfaces in your workplace or living area by wiping them down with a household disinfectant.”
At the same time, he adds, there’s no need for extreme infection-control actions. “People who have sick family members but are not sick themselves do not need to stay home,” he says. “And there’s no need to call in a professional cleaning company if someone in your work area becomes ill.” Studies have shown that the virus does not remain infectious on environmental surfaces for more than eight hours, he notes, and, to date, the transmission rate for the H1N1 virus is lower than that for the common cold.
“This new strain of flu is likely to stick around, at least at low levels, through the next few months,” Heller says. “But the good infection-control habits we develop this summer will serve us well when the normal cold and flu season arrives in the fall.”
See also: MIT Medical's influenza information page
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