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New record for flu hospitalizations in Minnesota
The flu and other viruses are on the rise across the country. In Minnesota, a new record has been set for hospitalizations due to the flu. FOX 9's Leon Purvis has the latest.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Health experts are alarmed by what they’re seeing. Minnesota is experiencing a record number of influenza hospitalizations dating all the way back to 2008.
Record flu hospitalizations
What we know:
These numbers are only from the first week after all the holiday gatherings. That’s 722 flu hospitalizations to be exact. The last time the state saw numbers that high in a single week was 649 for the 2014 to 2015 flu season. The alarming thing is, the season isn’t over yet.
"I would not be surprised if that 722 for last week was higher by the time we kind of got everything all cleaned up," said Melissa McMahon, Influenza Supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Health.
Holiday gatherings impact flu hospitalizations
Dig deeper:
It’s always routine for family and friends to gather indoors during the holidays every year, and someone may get sick.
"It really just makes it very easy for droplets to spread from one person to another. So as people cough or sneeze or even just talk or laugh, they expel, kind of droplets into the air with the virus in them," said McMahon.
What doctors are saying
What they're saying:
Dr. Frank Rhame, an Infectious Disease Physician for Allina Health, has practiced medicine in Minnesota since 1979. He tells FOX 9 he hasn’t seen anything like this before.
"It's scary. Right this particular year, it's doing something that's quite unusual in its speed of ramping up," said Rhame.
Also, of note, the majority of the hospitalizations for the flu is the 65 and older group. The area for most people in the hospital is the metro. Rhame said the best thing you can do to prevent yourself from getting sick is wash your hands and get the flu shot.
"If you are sick, don't expose other people. So, if you're in a household where one person has got it, keep that person separate if you can, and make sure that person washes his or her hands very carefully," said Rhame.