ATLANTA — As flu cases continue to rise throughout the country, Georgia is now in the “very high” range for respiratory illness, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far this season, 29 people have died from the flu in Georgia, according to the latest numbers from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
DPH released their weekly flu update on Monday, which showed that seven people died from the flu during the week of Dec. 27. There were more than 500 hospitalizations from the flu reported that week alone.
In total, Georgia has seen nearly 1,600 people hospitalized since the flu season began.
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“This flu season has been a really serious one. It started pretty early,” said Dr. Reema Dbouk, an internal medicine physician at Emory Healthcare.
She said the most vigorous defense against the flu is to be vaccinated – and it’s not too late for that shot in the arm.
“The virus has sort of changed on us a little bit since last year, but it’s important to note that our vaccination is still effective,” she said. “We expect to see flu cases even into the spring, so if you think that you kind of missed the boat for this season, you did not.”
Dbouk said if you’re dealing with flu-like symptoms and wonder whether you should see a doctor, you can call Emory’s 24/7 flu hotline at 404-544-9358.
“That allows people to get care within their homes and prevent people with more mild symptoms from having to go to the emergency room.”
Across the country, there have been 11,000,000 illnesses reported, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths from flu so far this season, the CDC reported.
When to seek emergency medical attention
Seek emergency attention if experiencing:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Chest pain or persistent pressure
- Sudden dizziness, confusion or severe weakness
- Severe or prolonged vomiting
- Flu symptoms that improve but return with a high fever or worsening cough
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