Flu season shaping up as Iowa's worst since 2014-15

Iowa’s post-holiday crud season is hitting with a vengeance, as flu bugs and cold viruses usher in 2018.

“I think we’re going to have a pretty severe year,” said Patricia Quinlisk, medical director for the Iowa Department of Public Health.

So far, the spike in flu cases appears to be the worst since the winter of 2014-15, state reports show.

Flu season tends to ramp up in January, after many Iowans return from holiday travels that exposed them to all kinds of viruses and bacteria. Cold weather tends to exacerbate outbreaks, probably because people huddle together indoors and because cold air dries out sinus passages, giving viruses a clearer path to infection, Quinlisk said.

A particularly nasty “A” strain of the flu is circulating, which is causing severe illness, Quinlisk said. Several nursing homes have reported outbreaks. That’s particularly worrisome, because frail, elderly people are among the most susceptible to deadly complications, such as pneumonia.

Although there have been some reports that this year’s flu vaccine isn’t providing great protection, Quinlisk said it’s too early to know how effective it is, but most people who receive it should gain at least some protection.

Unlike in some past winters, there is no shortage of flu shots. "But vaccine on the shelf doesn't do any good. You've got to get it in your arm," she said.

Ravi Vemuri, an infectious-disease physician at Des Moines' Mercy Medical Center, said experts monitor how flu affects countries in the Southern Hemisphere, which has winter while the Northern Hemisphere has summer. During this cycle, Australia was hammered by an A strain of flu, which the current vaccine did not do a good job of preventing, he said. But he and other doctors continue to urge people to get vaccinated. Even if they subsequently are infected with the A strain of flu, he said, "they would hopefully not get as sick as they otherwise might have."

Mercy's emergency department was so jammed Tuesday afternoon that ambulance crews were diverted to other hospitals. In the early afternoon, 22 emergency department patients were waiting for inpatient beds at the hospital, Vemuri said. Only about five of those patients had flu-like symptoms, however. Other problems included broken bones and strokes, the doctor said.

At Blank Children's Hospital, several young children have had to be put on ventilators recently because of flu complications. "I think it's important for people to realize it's a potentially deadly illness," said Amy Shriver, a pediatrician at the hospital. Most of the severely ill children at Blank have been unvaccinated, Shriver added.

Doctors recommend that almost everyone older than 6 months receive the flu shots. Families with infants should ensure that parents and siblings are vaccinated, to help prevent spreading the virus to the babies, Shriver said.

Flu is marked by coughs, sneezing, high fevers and body aches. Cold viruses don’t tend to cause fevers, but some of them circulating this year are causing serious, lingering coughs and congestion, Quinlisk said. The state also is starting to see more cases of stomach bugs, including noroviruses, which are often mistaken for influenza.

The flu can be especially deadly to the elderly, young children and people with chronic health problems, such as diabetes, asthma or heart conditions. Besides promoting vaccinations, experts recommend people cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing; wash their hands often and thoroughly; stay home when they're ill; and get plenty of rest and fluids. Doctors recommend seeking medical attention if patients are having trouble breathing, if they're hard to wake up or if they have high fevers. Fevers that recede then recur can be a particular dire sign, because they could indicate a person has been infected with a secondary bug, such as a dangerous bacteria.

Iowa has only recorded two confirmed flu deaths so far this season, but such reports can lag by several weeks, Quinlisk said. The state recorded 135 flu-related deaths last season.