Flu virus bugging people on the High Desert

Flu season so far has tread lightly on the High Desert, compared to other, harder-hit regions. But consider yourself warned, the tide is turning.

“Oregon is now definitely on the uptick,” Kari Coe, St. Charles Director of Infection Prevention and Caregiver Health, said Monday.

In Central Oregon, Coe said, the Madras area has been hit the hardest so far: 30 percent of people tested there for influenza had it.That’s compared to 13 percent of those tested in Redmond and Prineville, and 12 percent in Bend.

The numbers do not yet concern the hospital, but the results do follow a national trend: most are falling ill with Type A influenza, the strain outwitting this year’s vaccination.

“Unfortunately, that’s probably indicative of the coverage that’s not provided in the flu vaccination this year,” Coe said.

And there’s more bad news: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports vaccinations this year are only 23 percent effective — the worst failure rate in decades.

Despite all that, health officials say you should still get the shot (or the nasal mist).

“There are several strains of influenza out there, and so the vaccine very well may be covering (some of those strains),” Coe said. “And more importantly, if you do get influenza, they’ve found you have lesser symptoms (if you’ve had the vaccination).”

Now, only time will tell if flu cases in Central Oregon spike to unhealthy levels. St. Charles will monitor trends closely for the next few weeks, and expects flu season to wind down before March.

Another familiar tip doctors shared is worth the reminder: Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently and stay home when you are sick.

There’s plenty more information about this year’s flu on the Web, and a good place to start is the CDC Website