If you are one of those really lucky people who hasn’t caught this year’s flu, congratulations. The bad news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is that flu is surging all at once in 49 states. On top of that, a recent study from the University of Maryland revealed that you may be likely to catch it after a sick person simply exhales – not sneezes or coughs – near you.
Certainly, we’ve seen an unusually fast spread this year, said Dan Jernigan, director of the CDC's influenza division, demonstrating with a map of the U.S. that showed 49 states had widespread activity last week. “This hasn’t happened in the last 13 years, and maybe not ever," Jernigan said.
“We found that flu cases contaminated the air around them with infectious virus just by breathing,” explains Donald Milton, M.D., professor of environmental health at the university and the lead researcher of the study. “People with flu generate infectious aerosols, or tiny droplets that stay suspended in the air for a long time, even when they are not coughing.” They do this, he says, especially during the first days of illness.
The results, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicate that the tiny aerosols that escaped with normal breathing (or when the 142 certifiably fluish college students did things like recite the alphabet) and stayed suspended in the air could pose a risk of airborne transmission.
And, yep, all this means just what you’re worrying it means — that you're not safe simply staying away from people who are coughing and that "handwashing alone is not enough," Milton says.
Staying home and away from public places. Or if you're the one with a fever and sore throat, whether or not you have a cough, "stay away from other people for at least three to four days or until your fever is gone — whichever is longer," Milton recommends.
But for now, don't give up on washing your hands like crazy or wiping down surfaces with disinfectants until we see the end of this "moderately severe" flu season. While coughing isn't as critical to airborne transmission as once thought, it can transmit the virus to surfaces like phones or doorknobs, where they can remain “live” for up to 24 hours, the CDC reports.
As numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show, an ugly flu season just got uglier. “Since the holidays, we’ve seen an explosion in influenza throughout the country, and a large upsurge in patients hospitalized with influenza,” says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease expert and member of the CDC’s national surveillance team.
Right now, as hospitals nationwide are “bulging” with influenza patients, Schaffner says, the patients most typically sweating it out in backed-up waiting rooms are over 65. This group, he says, is hardest hit by the season’s more severe prevailing strain; they tend to develop the most serious complications of the respiratory virus, including pneumonia.
As for what you should do if you think you might have the flu in the middle of a major outbreak, follow these tips.
We are encouraging everyone to take responsibility for keeping their viruses to themselves. When you aren’t feeling well please stay home, take care of yourself, and do your part to tamp down this flu.
When you have questions about your personal or business insurance, we welcome your call.
Dean& Draper is a Trusted Choice insurance agency representing over 200 insurance companies. For over 35 years we have offered a trusted freedom of choice to our clients. ContactUs.
The recommendation(s), advice and contents of this material are provided for informational purposes only and do not purport to address every possible legal obligation, hazard, code violation, loss potential or exception to good practice. Dean & Draper Insurance Agency specifically disclaims any warranty or representation that acceptance of any recommendations or advice contained herein will make any premises, property or operation safe or in compliance with any law or regulation. Under no circumstances should this material or your acceptance of any recommendations or advice contained herein be construed as establishing the existence or availability of any insurance coverage with Dean & Draper Insurance Agency. By providing this information to you, Dean & Draper Insurance Agency does not assume (and specifically disclaims) any duty, undertaking or responsibility to you. The decision to accept or implement any recommendation(s) or advice contained in this material must be made by you.
©2018 Dean & Draper Insurance Agency All Rights Reserved.
Resources: AARP Magazine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention