Wednesday, February 17, 1999
Flu cases below average
BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A thunderstorm of flu-like illnesses continues to swamp Tristate medical offices and emergency rooms, but experts still predict a mild overall flu season.
Next year, the forecast may be even milder, thanks to a combination of more people getting flu vaccines, the possible introduction of an oral flu pill, and more doctors using quick flu tests.
“In the future, we'll see this test being used commonly. As a result, treatment will be different,” said Dr. Gilbert Schiff, a top vaccine researcher at Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Reports from the Ohio Department of Health reveal that the number of actual flu cases through January has been sharply lower than average, said spokesman Randy Hertzer. Cases have since picked up, with the state declaring “widespread” flu activity beginning Feb. 8.
Mishmash of illnesses
The busy medical services, scatterred school closings and slight spike in workplace absenteeism reflect a late-peaking run of influenza, aggravated by a mishmash of other common illnesses.
But no medical expert is predicting anything close to a record year for the flu. In fact, it will take thousands of cases statewide just to catch up to an average year.
“Activity is picking up, but we're not seeing anything out of the ordinary,” said Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Instead of a flu crisis, some see early signs of success from last fall's stepped-up flu shot campaign. Senior centers in Anderson Township, Oakley,
Over-the-Rhine, and Springdale reported high numbers of older people getting flu shots, and few getting sick.
“We've had a few people sick, but really it hasn't been that bad. We had two big bingos Thursday and Friday,” said Harold Burkholder, director of the Maple Knoll Senior Center in Springdale.
Next year, Dr. Schiff predicts much wider use of the rapid flu test, which can prove within 30 minutes whether a winter sickness is really the flu. If so, doctors won't give antibiotics, which don't work against viruses.
If Type A flu is caught within the first 48 hours, doctors can prescribe amantadine or rimantadine to lessen the impact of the illness. However, those drugs don't work against Type B flu.
Meanwhile, final-stage testing of an oral flu pill continues in Cincinnati and other cities. The GS4104 pill, made by Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., blocks the ability of all common flu strains to multiply. Worldwide, more than 2,900 people have tried the flu pill, but even more testing is required to track side effects, set the most effective dose, and win U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.
Run over by a truck
People call just about any bug they catch in the winter “the flu.” Only some of those illnesses are caused by the influenza virus.
The rest involve a wide range of other illnesses. For example, various types of bacteria cause sinus infections and strep throat. A long list of cold viruses and allergic reactions can trigger “flu-like” runny noses and coughs.
Real influenza attacks the lungs and airway. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, chills and muscular aches. People with true flu feel like they've been run over by a truck. They really feel knocked out, Dr. Schiff said.
Vomiting, however, is not a common symptom of the flu virus. Instead, people with “stomach bugs” could have any number of other bacteria or viruses that attack the digestive system, including several types of food-borne illness.
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