Flu season expected to peak this month
Doctors say we’re in the middle of one of the worst flu seasons they’ve seen in years. 43 states including Colorado are reporting widespread flu activity this week and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls it an epidemic.
182 people in El Paso County and 108 people in Pueblo County have been hospitalized for flu so far this season. The CDC says it expects the flu season to peak this month, though flu activity can last through May.
Dr. Bethany Wallace, a family practitioner at Premier Urgent Care in Colorado Springs told KRDO NewsChannel 13 that clinics across the Pikes Peak region have seen an influx of patients with flu symptoms. During the holidays, Wallace said they diagnosed around 20 people a day with the flu.
Wallace stressed the importance of seeing a doctor when you see flu-like symptoms, including a high fever.
“With a cold or regular virus, usually you can function, but with the flu it usually puts you in bed. You can’t function well,” Wallace said. “People stay home and think they’re getting better and then they get a complication of the flu like bronchitis or pneumonia.”
A flu test takes about 15 minutes to complete. By diagnosing patients quickly, doctors are able to start Tamiflu treatments before complications arise.
To learn more about flu signs and symptoms, click here.
