WATCHED STATION, THIS IS WCCO4
NEWS .
HUNDREDS OF NEW CASES OF THE
FLU ARE POPPING UP ACROSS
MINNESOTA.
MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE
ENDING UP IN THE HOSPITAL.
THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH SHOWS THAT THE FLU IS
STILL WIDESPREAD AND THERE'S A
BIG JUMP IN THE NUMBER OF
OUTBREAKS IN SCHOOLS AND LONG-
TERM CARE FACILITIES.
THERE WERE 72 OUTBREAKS LAST
WEEK COMPARED TO 4 THE WEEK
BEFORE.
IN NURSING HOMES THERE WERE 36
CASES COMPARED TO 23 THE WEEK
BEFORE-- BEFORE.
ANGELA DAVIS IS HERE WITH MORE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE WE ARE GETTING
HIT HARD.
WE TALKED WITH AN INSPECTION
-- INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST
AND TALKING TO PATIENTS WITH
SEVERE SYMPTOMS BECAUSE OF A
PARTICULAR STRAIN THAT THEY ARE
SEEING A LOT OF.
THE WEEKLY FLU REPORT SHOWS A
420 MINNESOTA CITIZENS WERE
HOSPITALIZED WITH THE FLU LAST
WEEK ALONE.
IT KNOCKS PEOPLE OFF OF
THEIR FEET.
WE ASK PEOPLE WHAT DOES IT FEEL
LIKE AND ONE OF THE DESCRIPTORS
SAYS IT FEELS LIKE-- IT FEELS
LIKE I HAVE BEEN HIT BY A TRUCK
AND THAT'S TRUE.
SHE'S A NURSE PRACTITIONER AT
VIRTUWELL.
YOU CAN CREATE AN ACCOUNT AND
SHARE YOUR SYMPTOMS WITH A
LICENSED FIRST PRACTITIONER WHO
ADVISES YOU WHAT TO DO NEXT.
IT APPEARS WE ARE IN FOR A
ROUGH SEASON.
WE THINK WE HAVE ANOTHER
MONTH OR SO OF SIGNIFICANT
WIDESPREAD FLU SO WE WATCH
THOSE VERY CAREFULLY.
IT IS WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE
NATION, NOT JUST HERE.
WE KNOW THAT IT STARTED
UNUSUALLY EARLY, WE KNOW THAT
IT IS MOSTLY H3N2 WHICH TENDS
TO BE SEVERE AND LESS PROTECTIVE
AGAINST THE VACCINE.
THOSE MOST AT RISK OF HAVING
A HARD TIME OVERCOMING THE FLU
ARE OLDER PEOPLE, YOUNG
CHILDREN, AND PEOPLE WITH PRE-
EXISTING CONDITIONS.
WE ADVISE IT FOR EVERYONE
BUT IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF
DEATHS WE WILL PREVENT ITS
PEOPLE WITH PREDISPOSED
CONDITIONS THAT WE NEED TO
PROTECT.
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF
PEDIATRICS SHOWED A STUDY
SHOWING THAT CHILDREN WERE
VACCINATED, THEIR OUTCOMES ARE
BETTER.
THEY DON'T GET A SICK OR END UP
IN EMERGENCY ROOMS OR DIE.
WE HAVE SEEN RESULTS.
20 CHILDREN HAVE DIED FROM THE
FLU SO FAR AND AT LEAST ONE OF
THOSE WAS FROM MINNESOTA.
IF YOU ARE SEEKING RELIEF FROM
YOUR SYMPTOMS BY SEEKING
PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION, YOU
WOULD HAVE TO START TAKING IT
