Flu more of a threat to Wisconsinites than Coronavirus

Despite all the hype around Coronavirus right now there's a more immediate threat to your family's health here in Wisconsin

Keely Arthur by Keely Arthur

MADISON, Wis. — Despite all the hype around Coronavirus right now there’s a more immediate threat to your family’s health here in Wisconsin. We’re talking about the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there have been 15 million cases of the flu this flu season.

According to the latest CDC data Wisconsin is considered one of 34 states with a high number of influenza-like illnesses in just the last week. While the number of Coronavirus cases in this state is zero.

Similar to the rest of the country, Public Health officials tell News 3 Now that flu is wide spread in Dane county. Officials say it’s hard to say why some flu seasons are worse than others, but often comes down to how effective the vaccine is. The good news is the number of people immunized in Dane County and state wide hasn’t gone down. The bad news is influenza is here and certainly the biggest concern for public health officials locally.

“When we are talking about what you are most at risk for, or what your kids are most at risk for it’s definitely influenza so we haven’t seen any cases of the Coronavirus here in Wisconsin or Dane County,” said Sarah Hughes, the immunization coordinator at Public Health Madison and Dane County. “We are seeing lots of flu so that’s what we should be worrying about the most and working to protect ourselves against.”

As an individual here is what you can do to protect yourself. Get the vaccine. The flu season lasts until March so you still have plenty of time. Use good hand hygiene. Hughes tells News 3 Now that people should wash their hands for at least 20 seconds. If a family member is sick with the flu, be sure to keep them in a separate room, like a bedroom from healthy members of the family until symptoms. From a public health stand point the county and city are still administering the flu vaccine and continuing to work to educate citizens.

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