Mobile County health officials reported a sharp increase in positive flu tests during January 2018, with the local total already exceeding the number recorded during the entire previous flu season.
By Jan. 19, the county had logged 1,148 positive tests. That was more than three times the 325 positive tests reported at the same point a year earlier, and it was higher than the roughly 1,006 positives recorded across the full 2016-17 season.
An unusually early peak
Dr. Debra Walks of the Mobile County Health Department described the surge as unusual because flu activity was cresting sooner than it typically did. Influenza cases often reached their high point in February, but the county was seeing an early peak that winter.
Local reporting also differed from the state’s public flu-activity map. While statewide data did not list Mobile County in the same widespread category as many other counties, local health officials said they were submitting their cases to the Alabama Department of Public Health. They noted that the state and county used different testing methods, which could affect how the county’s activity appeared in state reporting.
Who faced the greatest risk
Health officials continued to encourage vaccination despite concerns that season’s vaccine offered less protection than desired. They emphasized that partial protection could still matter, particularly for people more likely to develop serious complications.
Young children, older adults and people with chronic heart or lung conditions were identified as higher-risk groups. Residents were also urged to take basic precautions, including frequent handwashing and staying home when ill to reduce the chance of spreading influenza to others.
The January figures illustrated how quickly flu conditions could change during a season and why local testing data remained important for Mobile County families, schools and health-care providers.