Flu Season Comes Early, Hits Hard
By: Meredith Hillgartner
Updated: December 4, 2012
"Well we've seen a lot of flu like illnesses, were just now starting to see some of the flu," Skelton said.
Flu season starts in December but Dr. Jonathan Skelton said this year the season started early.
He said he thinks a lack of vaccinations might be to blame.
"Typically what we see is people don't usually get vaccinated with the flu vaccine until they have a reason to get vaccinated," Skelton said.
Dr. Skelton said there is cause for concern--this year's strain of flu is the same strain that killed over 48,000 Americans in 2004.
"The extremes of age, very young or very old," Skelton said. "Typically are going to have more difficulty fighting off the flu. They don't have the immunities; they don't have really the capacities and resources within their own body to be able to fight the symptoms of the flu nearly as well."
Skelton said children and the elderly are at the greatest risk of further complications.
"They typically are going to be the ones who see the secondary complications with pneumonia developing and things like that," Skelton said. "They are going to be much more susceptible to those complications and potential bad outcomes, resulting in even death."
This year's vaccination does protect against the strain from 2004 but Dr. Skelton said if you have certain symptoms, you should see a doctor right away.
"The main symptom is gong to be really high fever, about 103-104," Skelton said. "Lots of chills, lots of aches and pains upper respiratory symptoms coughing runny nose even occasionally having some vomiting and potentially even diarrhea as well
