California hits high influenza category, first on the West Coast, CDC says

An aggressive jump in flu cases across California has escalated the state from a low to high influenza category in just two weeks, according to health officials.

California is the first state on the West Coast to enter the high category status.

This season across the states there have been an estimated 2.8 million influenza cases, 23,000 hospitalizations and 1,300 deaths, three of which have been children, according to the CDC.

“Getting the flu vaccine as soon as possible is highly recommended for everybody,” said Dr. Vanessa Walker, with Pulmonary Medicine Associates.

Walker said it’s the inflammation and secondary bacterial infections which often land people in the hospital.

“Almost 99% of all the influenza viruses and infections are due to Influenza A, and we have a 92-95% match rate for our vaccine versus this year's influenza,” said Walker, further explaining the vaccine has a high likelihood of protecting recipients from severe illness this year.

The flu season has begun more aggressively this year than compared to the last decade.

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Source: KCRA News

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