MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. — Health officials say this year’s influenza season arrived earlier than usual in Mobile County, and they expect case numbers to keep rising in the weeks ahead.
Dr. Rendi Murphree, epidemiologist and director of Disease Surveillance and Environmental Services at the Mobile County Health Department, said the local season started early and followed a different pattern than most years, with influenza B circulating more heavily in the early part of the season than is typical.
Flu activity well above state threshold
According to Murphree, roughly 6 to 7 percent of all health care visits in the area were related to influenza-like illness — about twice the level recorded just a week earlier and double Alabama’s threshold for significant flu activity. Officials had hoped an early start would mean an early finish, but that has not happened, and Murphree said elevated influenza activity will likely continue for many more weeks.
The concern extends beyond Mobile County. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated at midseason that flu had caused about 19 million illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations, and 10,000 deaths across the country.
Health officials push antivirals and prevention
Murphree urged residents who develop flu symptoms to see a health care provider quickly. Antiviral medications work against nearly all of the viruses circulating this season, she noted, and starting them early can lessen the illness and help prevent complications.
The department also continues to recommend everyday preventive measures — staying home when sick, covering coughs, washing hands often, and getting a flu shot, which remains the best tool for reducing the risk of illness as the season stretches on.