Peak flu season has hit Southwest Florida, local health officials say.
The region historically sees flu and other respiratory illness strike hard in January. What’s partly to blame are visitors during the holidays from the North where flu season starts earlier.
A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map shows 48 jurisdictions around the U.S. are seeing high or very high flu activity; Florida is in the very high category, according to the Jan. 5 weekly update.
Influenza A viruses are the most frequently reported influenza so far this season.
The CDC estimates at least 11 million illnesses so far this season. In addition,120,000 people have been hospitalized and 5,000 people have died so far this flu season, the data shows.
Nine children have died from flu this season; two of the deaths were in the latest reporting period for the last week of December.
For the last week of December alone, 33,000 people were hospitalized across the U.S., according to the CDC.
Flu is not a reportable illness to the Florida Department of Health but the agency monitors activity largely based on hospital data.
The head of the Lee Health hospital system said peak flu season has arrived.
“As virus activity and patient volumes increase in Lee Health emergency departments (EDs), we want to remind you of the many non-emergency care options available to help,” Dr. Larry Antonucci, president and chief executive officer of Lee Health, said in recent column in the (Fort Myers) The News Press/Naples Daily News.
Lee Health’s most recent data for the week ending Dec. 27 shows more than 950 positive flu cases, combined for both influenza strains A and B.
A year ago for the last week of December Lee Health had 1,273 positive flu tests.
The number includes positive flu tests at outpatient centers, in emergency rooms and inpatient hospital settings. The admitted patients may be in the hospital for other reasons but tested positive for flu.
Flu season in general peaks December to February in the region but there can be another peak locally.
“However, in southern Florida we often see another spike with the arrival of people enjoying spring break in March and April,” Dr. Mary Beth Saunders, vice president medical affairs for Lee Health, said.
Are people getting the flu vaccine?
The CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine, anytime viruses are circulating.
More than 130 million doses of flu vaccine have been distributed as of early December with 42% of children getting the shot.
The 2024-25 flu season was a record bad year with hospitalizations two times higher compared to 2010-11. About one third of the hospitalized had been vaccinated, according to the CDC.
That does not bode well during an era of vaccine hesitancy and confusion under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. and his anti-vaccine stance.
Couple that with efforts in Florida to unwind vaccine requirements and critics say the outcome will be reduced vaccination rates and heightened public health risks.
The federal agency says fewer people are getting the vaccine and it projects a seasonal uptake of 154 million doses.
Is the flu shot effective this season?
“Influenza virus may mutate but does not change completely so even if the vaccine is not a perfect match it can still help decrease symptoms, decrease duration of illness, and contagiousness,” Dr. Mary Beth Saunders, vice president medical affairs for Lee Health, said.
The CDC said seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to help reduce the risk of getting flu and any of its potentially serious complications.
“While some people who get a flu vaccine may still get sick with influenza, flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness,” according to the agency.
Find the right care for you
It is impossible to fully predict what the flu season will look like in Florida due to limitations on testing in the community, Tyler Bellwood, director of infection prevention at Naples Comprehensive Health, said before the holidays.
Not all individuals who experience flu-like illness will seek care, he said.
The best protection is getting the flu vaccine, he said.
“Most cases of flu can be managed safely at home, and NCH encourages our community to take simple, proactive steps to stay healthy and reduce the spread,” he said. “The best protection remains the annual flu vaccine. It’s safe, widely available, and significantly reduces the severity of illness.”
He also recommends frequent handwashing, staying home when sick, covering coughs and sneezes, and practicing good general hygiene.
“Individuals at higher risk for complications, including young children, older adults, pregnant women and those with chronic medical conditions, should consult their physician early if they begin experiencing symptoms,” he said.
Where to get help
To help you determine the best care option, Antonucci said the public can always visit LeeHealth.org/get-care. You’ll find an online symptom checker, which helps guide the site visitor to the most appropriate care setting.
For more information about the flu, visit the Lee Health symptom tracker at https://www.leehealth.org/symptom-checker
For locations and type of care visit https://www.leehealth.org/get-care.
At NCH, visit https://nchmd.org/care-now and https://nchmd.org/locations.
What are flu symptoms?
Liz Freeman is a health care reporter. Reach her by emailing lfreeman@naplesnews.com .
This article originally appeared on Marco Eagle: State at ‘very high’ alert; peak flu season has hit Southwest Florida
Reporting by Liz Freeman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Marco Eagle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
