MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Flu season is the roughest it’s been in a decade. That’s according to health officials with more people being diagnosed everyday in the Mid-South.
The current flu season doesn’t appear to be letting up.
“What we are starting to see now is an increase in the B strain of the flu,” Helen Morrow, with the Shelby County Health Department, said.
After battling the rather stubborn h3n2 strain, the B strain of the virus is now popping up.
That’s why some people contracted the flu twice this season.
“The strain of the flu that has been extremely harsh this year. The h3n2 strain didn’t match quite as well with the vaccine,” Morrow said.
The vaccine is formulated to defend against the strains of the virus that health professionals deem the biggest risk for the upcoming season.
However, people can come down with a strain that isn’t covered in the shot.
According to the Shelby County Health Department, visits for flu symptoms wind down in late January.
But they’ve shot back up with the emergence of the B strain.
“It’s been longer and a bit rougher than we usually see. Hopefully it will wane,” Morrow said.
Gratefully, the B strain is included in the vaccine, but Morrow says don’t wait to get the vaccine.
“It’s still not too late for people to get their influenza vaccine,” she said.
She’s says the virus moves rapidly and can be treated quickly, but it’s better to try to prevent it all together.
“The flu can come on rather suddenly. You may feel fine in the morning, and then by lunch you feel the train has run over you,” she said.