With officers anticipating the next flu season this 12 months, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is urging residents to get their flu shot earlier than the flu season reaches its peak.
Bay State well being officers are additionally encouraging residents to remain up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations forward of a potential surge this fall and winter.
“Every flu season is different, and while it is difficult to predict severity, vaccination remains the best way for people to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities against flu,” mentioned Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Margret Cooke.
“Now is also a good time for residents to get their COVID-19 vaccines and updated bivalent booster if they haven’t yet, particularly those who are at increased risk of developing serious illness,” Cooke added. “This includes people with certain chronic health conditions.”
Federal public well being officers predict larger flu exercise this season as in comparison with earlier years. That flu forecast relies on the excessive variety of circumstances recorded this previous winter within the Southern Hemisphere, notably in Australia.
The state Department of Public Health started its statewide surveillance reporting for the 2022-2023 flu season initially of October.
Since Oct. 2, 96 lab-confirmed flu circumstances have been reported in Massachusetts. The majority of people with influenza-like sickness will not be examined, so the variety of constructive take a look at outcomes doesn’t mirror the overall variety of influenza circumstances in Massachusetts.
Nearly yearly within the U.S., thousands and thousands of individuals get the flu, tons of of 1000’s are hospitalized, and 1000’s die from flu-related sicknesses. The most typical signs of flu are fever, cough, and sore throat. Symptoms may embody physique aches, complications, chills, runny nostril, and fatigue.
Flu vaccination is very necessary for people who find themselves at larger danger of growing severe flu issues, equivalent to these with a persistent respiratory situation, coronary heart illness, a weakened immune system, or who’re pregnant.
Because flu and COVID are each anticipated to be circulating this fall, and should have comparable signs, folks with flu-like sickness ought to get examined for each COVID and flu.
“It’s important that everybody over the age of 6 months get a flu vaccine annually, and even more so this year because the lack of infection over the past couple of flu seasons likely means there is less immunity to flu than in prior years,” mentioned Larry Madoff, medical director of DPH’s Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences.
“The flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine or booster can be given during the same visit,” Madoff added. “We really urge people to get vaccinated to protect themselves, those around them, and to help prevent the circulation of flu on top of COVID, which could cause a strain on our health care system.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”