OSWEGO – Coughing, hacking and sneezing – the heralds of flu season.
The flu arrived in Central New York early and the numbers are high this year, according to Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang.
The county has seen an increased number of lab confirmed flu cases compared with the same time last season, Huang told Oswego County Today.
So far this flu season, Oswego Health is not experiencing the number of flu cases that its neighboring counties are encountering, an OH spokesperson pointed out.
“However, what we are noticing is that the flu is hitting our community earlier than it did last year. In 2017, the flu became prevalent in mid-February,” Marion Ciciarelli, Oswego Health Senior Director of Communications, told Oswego County Today.
The local flu season usually starts in December and runs through around March.
The first case in the county was reported in September this season, Huang said.
Oswego Hospital is seeing an increase of influenza like illness cases in the Emergency Room and Urgent Care Centers.
They’ve had six positive flu patients requiring admission to the hospital, since the flu season was declared by the NYSDOH Commissioner on December 13, 2017.
The County Health Department has seen 136 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza since September, Huang said, adding that 106 of those have come since Dec. 23.
Oswego Health’s Director of Infection Prevention and Environmental Services Terri Hammill, RN, is passionate about infection prevention and cites getting the flu shot as the first defense against the flu.
“The best way to safe guard is to get vaccine,” Huang agreed. “We are still in flu season and do not know how long it will be. It is never too late to get flu shot.”
Hand hygiene is the number one way to prevent the spread of infections, Hammill said.
She offers tips that include good hand hygiene to help prevent you from getting a cold or the flu this season.
There are a lot of ways to help prevent the spread of viral and bacterial infections, such as getting a flu shot and staying home from work if you get sick.
The most important step is one of the easiest: washing your hands regularly.
Germs can survive on surfaces, you cannot see them, and if you touch a contaminated surface whether at home, work or anywhere else this puts you at risk of an infection if you later touch your mouth, nose or eyes, all areas for a portal of entry into your body to make you sick.
Breaking that chain of infection by washing your hands the right way at the right time eliminates the germs before they can get into your body to make you sick.
You should wash your hands with soap and water, scrubbing all surfaces of your hands (don’t forget those nails) for at least 15 seconds, after you use the bathroom, before you eat and any time your hands are visibly soiled.
Dry your hands before turning off the faucet and then use a paper towel to turn off the faucet so you do not re-contaminate your hands.
Hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) is a good go to for frequent hand hygiene if you do not have access to a sink.
Out in public areas such as the grocery store or public transportation, having hand sanitizer with you will help to prevent the spread of infection.
Be proactive to prevent the spread, get your flu vaccine, cover your cough, and perform frequent hand hygiene.
Cold/flu season is here and these are just some tips to break the chain of infection to protect you and your family from getting sick, Hammill pointed out.
People still need to get their flu vaccine if they haven’t yet, she said.
“Practice good hand hygiene and cover your cough. Also, disinfecting those high-touch surface areas in your home will help with prevention efforts, too,” Hammill said.
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