PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Cold and flu season is quickly approaching.
It may even be here already.
“Right now, we are seeing an increase on the colds, the sinus infections, the strep throat. The flu (cases) are starting to come up. We haven’t hit that peak yet. That’ll be, usually mid-October when that really starts to peak quite a bit,” said Sarah Stone, a nurse practitioner at Emplify Health by Bellin FastCare.
The CDC classified last year’s flu season as high severity.
That made it the highest severity level since the 2017-2018 season.
So, what about this year?
“It’s always hard to predict what the next season is and that’s why I think it’s really important that we take every act and strategy we can to prevent any spread of illness,” said Chrystal Woller, Health Officer/Director with the City of De Pere.
Vaccines remain atop the list of strategies to prevent the spread of the virus.
According to a CDC estimate the flu vaccine prevented up to 360-thousand hospitalizations and up to 39-thousand deaths associated with influenza last flu season.
“The most important thing is if you can and are eligible to receive the vaccine, that’s the single best way to prevent and reduce the complications of respiratory illness. Always know, that the influenza vaccine is recommended for any child over the age of 6 months. When you get to the covid vaccine or the RSV vaccine, that is a conversation that you should have with your provider,” said Woller.
That’s due to potential complications with underlying conditions or pregnancy.
For prevention – washing your hands properly, cleaning surfaces and staying home when you’re sick can go a long way.
“Things that often get missed are light switches, remote controls and you know, just different things that people touch on a day-to-day basis that you might not think of. The refrigerator door is another one,” said Stone.
Taking those steps will help you and those around you as we enter the cold and flu season.
Information about where you can find a flu, covid or RSV vaccines in Brown County can be found here.
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