Cindy Sandt of Emmaus and Lhasa apso Tater chat with Laura Beaupre, a Lehigh Valley Health Network nurse, after Cindy got her flu shot in 2015. Every year, Lehigh Valley Health Network administers free flu vaccines at Dorney Park and Coca-Cola Park. This year, LVHN's drive-through clinics are on Nov. 9 and 10. (DONNA FISHER / THE MORNING CALL)
St. Luke’s University Health Network has already treated 11 influenza patients, including someone who died in September, marking an harsh start to flu season, Dr. Jeffrey Jahre, the network’s vice president of academic affairs, said Thursday.
The person who died was an older adult who had recently traveled abroad, Jahre said. He would not say if the person was a Lehigh Valley resident because of health privacy laws.
Flu patients at St. Luke’s have primarily been senior citizens or children ages 5 and under — the age groups most susceptible to the virus. Most serious flu cases are with people who were not vaccinated, Jahre said.
“These are your most vulnerable populations,” he said.
He advises people to get the flu vaccine, which not only protect against the virus but also can make flu symptoms milder.
Lehigh Valley Health Network has not admitted anyone for flu but expects to soon, said Dr. Luther Rhodes, chief of hospital epidemiology.
Typically, flu season begins in October, peaks between December and February and lasts until April or May. While the illness hasn’t spread widely yet, it has caused deaths in states such as South Carolina, Minnesota and Arkansas.
The Pennsylvania Health Department has not started sharing flu data on its website for this season because there are too few cases, said department spokesman Brittany Lauffer.
The Health Department said there were about 99,300 flu cases in Pennsylvania during the last flu season and 161 deaths, which included two children. There were more than 7,600 flu cases in the Lehigh Valley. The flu season that ended in spring of 2018 was more severe, with about 122,000 cases in Pennsylvania, including 258 deaths.
Flu is a contagious respiratory illness that infects the nose, throat and sometimes the lungs. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and typically include: fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headaches, body aches and fatigue. The disease is spread through coughing, sneezing and talking, or if someone touches an infected surface such as a doorknob.
Rhodes said flu activity in the U.S. generally follows a similar pattern to that in the Southern Hemisphere, where flu season starts in April and tapers off in September. This year, Australia had a bad flu season. But that’s just one factor in determining severity. Others include vaccination rates and which viral strains are circulating.
The flu vaccine is the best way to prevent the spread of the illnesses. It typically reduces someone’s risk of contracting the flu by 40% to 60%. Last season, the flu was only 29% effective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Typically, less than half of the country gets the flu vaccine.
The flu vaccine is covered by most insurance plans. Without insurance, the vaccine costs from $20 to more than $50.
LVHN is giving away free flu shots at its annual drive-through clinic, where people don’t have to leave the car to get a shot. It runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dorney Park in South Whitehall Township on Nov. 9, and at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown on Nov. 10.
Reservations are not required, but those interested are asked to register at LVHN.org/flushot.
Morning Call reporter Binghui Huang can be reached at 610-820-6745 and Bhuang@mcall.com.
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