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Georgia has risen to the “very high” range for respiratory illness as the flu has claimed seven lives in the state during the past week, health officials say.
Flu activity has become severe and widespread across Georgia with seven deaths during the week ending Dec. 27 and 29 people in the state dying from flu-related illnesses since the flu season officially began in October, according to data released Monday by the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH).
There were also more than 500 hospitalizations from the flu in Georgia during Christmas week, the DPH reported.
Nationwide, there have been at least 11 million reported cases of the flu, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths since early October, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Georgia DPH said flu-related cases are likely to increase after the holidays as Georgians return to work and school. The DPH urges Georgians to get a flu shot.
"The CDC recommends that individuals over the age of six months receive a once-yearly flu vaccine – not just for their own protection, but to protect others around them who may be more vulnerable to the flu and its complications, including the elderly and immuno-compromised," said DPH in a press release.
"It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies that protect against flu to develop in the body, so now is the time to get a flu shot. Even if you get the flu, the vaccine can help prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and, in extreme cases, death."
Georgia’s vaccination rates remain low with just 17.7% of adults and 12.6% of children age six months to 17 years vaccinated by the end of November, according to CDC data.
Flu symptoms and their severity can vary from person to person and may include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue, officials said. Young children, the elderly, expectant mothers, and those with chronic health conditions are especially susceptible.
As with previous years' flu vaccines, this year's flu strain isn’t completely covered by this year’s vaccine. Flu vaccine effectiveness may shift every year depending on how the virus mutates, officials said.
However, the CDC still recommends the flu vaccine because it helps people to produce antibodies that contribute to better defenses against a severe infection.
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