Sunday, February 10, 2013
Officials say it's active locally, but no reports of widespread cases have been made in Cuyahoga County.
Although the flu is on everyone’s minds this season, the winter vomiting bug, or the norovirus, is making its rounds — though it's not known how many cases have been contracted locally. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the norovirus causes about 70,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths each year, mostly in young children and the elderly. Some of the virus' common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pains. The CDC points out that the norovirus is often referred to as the stomach flu, but it is unrelated to influenza. In fact, the flu rarely involves intestinal symptoms. "Really everything from the chest down is something like the norovirus," said Cuyahoga County Board of Health …
Monday, February 4, 2013
The flu is holding steady across the county and state.
The flu is still going strong in Cuyahoga County, with numbers much higher than last year. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health provides weekly influenza reports on its website. According to the most recent report, which ended Jan. 19, flu-related hospitalizations declined again—from about 130 to 43—but emergency department visits for flu-like symptoms held steady. And those numbers are just provisional and can change in future reports. Last week, it looked like hospitalizations were on the decline, but numbers were back up in this week’s report. One thing is for sure—this season is much worse than last. About 111 more patients visited emergency departments for flu-like symptoms and fevers during this week in 2013 than the same time period…
Monday, January 28, 2013
The number of cases seems to be decreasing in Cuyahoga County.
Don’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet—it looks like the flu is easing up in Cuyahoga County, but it’s still worse than last year at this time. Cuyahoga County provides weekly influenza reports on its website. According to the most recent report, which ended Jan. 12, flu-related hospitalizations in the area were down from the past few weeks—65 hospitalizations compared to about 140 each the previous two weeks. And emergency room and doctor visits for flu-like symptoms were also down. But there were about 110 more emergency department visits for flu-like symptoms and about 55 more over-the-counter medications purchased per drug store than the same time period last year. If you’re still planning to get a flu shot—or you just want some …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
There have been more than 2,500 flu-related hospitalizations across the state so far this season.
This has already been an intense season for the flu in Ohio and across the country. Cuyahoga County provides weekly influenza reports on its website. As of Jan. 18, the most recent report—which ended on Jan. 5—showed a lot of flu activity in the area. This report was posted last week, so click here for more details. The Ohio Department of Health’s website has some more recent information, and some of the figures are staggering. There have already been more than 2,500 flu-related hospitalizations across the state as of Jan. 12. Compare that to 175 last year, and 86 the year before for the same time period. The department notes that there has been a “dramatic and early increase” this season, and includes a chart that shows just that. If …
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Influenza-related cases have been on the rise in recent weeks.
Make sure you have your tissues and ginger ale ready—flu season is picking up in Cuyahoga County. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health tracks influenza activity by the week. According to the most recent report, which ended on Dec. 22, there was “widespread” flu activity in the county. About 5 percent of all emergency department visits were for flu-related symptoms during that time, and throughout December, there were about 24 to 34 flu-related hospitalizations each week. Google.org’s flu trends for Cleveland show numbers increasing rapidly in recent weeks and reaching “intense” levels. The county’s figures show that complaints for symptoms of the flu—like congestion, coughing and vomiting—are all slightly higher than they were at this …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Check out these tips from a St. John Medical Center doctor and take a look at Cleveland-area flu trends.
Monday, September 17, 2012
St. John Medical Center doctor offers guidance on flu symptoms and flu shots.
With more flu cases popping up, it's time to get serious about your flu shot if you haven't gotten it yet. Who needs to get a flu shot? Dr. Roy Seitz, director of the emergency department at St. John Medical Center, offered this list. Click here for more information on flu shots from the Centers for Disease Control. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health offers locally flu shots at the St. John Medical Center but call first and make an appointment 216-201-2041. When registering, tell them if you want the pneumonia vaccine, flu vaccine or high-dose flu vaccine or both. Talk to your doctor before getting the high-dose flu or pneumonia vaccine. Wear a short-sleeved shirt and bring your Medicare and/or insurance cards with you. Both the flu and …
Patch reader
10:09 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
"Did you get a flu shot this season? Do you wish you had—or hadn’t? Tell us in the comments." No. This is why. chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa011604a.htm more ›