OLATHE, Kan. — The latest data from Missouri and Kansas shows the states are experiencing three to five times the number of flu-related emergency room visits compared to the previous two years.
Flu-related visits include influenza, RSV and other viral respiratory illnesses.
“I hate seeing all these kids sick,” explained Cheryl Wiggins, a mother of two living in Olathe, Kansas.
With Christmas quickly approaching, she plans to bring her family to her mother’s house with other relatives.
She feels comfortable carrying on the holiday traditions despite the rise in flu-related hospital visits because her family is vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19. Plus, the family practices healthy habits like frequent hand washing.
“We’ve always gotten the flu shot, it’s just never been a question,” Wiggins said.
This week is National Influenza Vaccination Week and most pharmacies, grocery stores, and doctor's offices offer free flu vaccines with health insurance.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks influenza cases across the country. It recommends people follow these three pieces of advice:
- Get vaccinations.
- Seek treatment early if you feel sick; therapies work most effectively the earlier they’re administered.
- Do the little things like hand washing and covering your cough.
Wiggins adds a fourth tip to the list: be responsible. She recently skipped a get-together at her brother’s house because she felt slightly under the weather.
“I had a cold and it wasn’t anything more than that, but I don’t know,” Wiggins said. “We just told him [my brother], ‘You guys go ahead, but we’re going to stay home for this one.’ I just didn’t want to risk anything. How could I put them in that situation because of my own selfishness?”
During a call Friday, the University of Kansas Health System’s chief medical officer spoke with a vaccinologist from the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Gregory Poland.
Poland reminded listeners that COVID still exists and new variants continue to infect people.
“A rapid rise of variants means there are very likely people listening to our voice today who, by Christmastime, are not going to be able to enjoy Christmas with their family,” Poland said.
He said beds in hospitals across the country are filling up with post-Thanksgiving COVID cases. As a result, Poland is changing his Christmas plans to avoid the risk of getting sick.
“We’re going to hold off until probably the January timeframe,” Poland said. “Before we get together, we are testing to be sure no one is mildly or asymptomatically infected. When we are indoors with people who are not our immediate family, we are wearing a N95 mask.”
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