ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 14, 1996 TAG: 9612160041
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
Aches, fevers, chills? You're not alone.
Southwest Virginia was one of three areas of the state that saw a huge jump in reported cases of influenza type A cases this week, state health officials said Friday.
The Department of Health monitors influenza activity through a group of doctors across the state and found that the number of Southwest Virginia patients with flulike systems jumped 641 percent in a week.
There were 22 cases reported for the week ended Dec. 5 and 163 cases this week.
Northern and northwestern Virginia also had increases, said Dr. Denise Benkel of the Health Department.
It is not known how many of the flulike cases are actually the flu, but Benkel suggested people should be cautious.
Benkel advised that persons in the three areas who haven't had a flu shot should ask their doctors about using an anti-viral drug for immediate protection. Amantadine and Rimatidine were suggested.
It takes two weeks for a flu shot to become effective.
Flu is an acute respiratory disease caused by type A or type B viruses. The incubation period is one to four days. Typical symptoms include abrupt onset of fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, muscle aches and fatigue.
Virginia doesn't usually see many flu cases until January, but the early start combined with the number of people who will be traveling in the next couple of weeks likely will spread the illness statewide, the Health Department warned.
All across the country, people have taken to their beds with flulike ailments.
So far this season, 34 states have confirmed at least one case of influenza, and that's not the only bug making people feel lousy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
The number of sufferers is soaring each week, and in two of those states - Colorado and Pennsylvania - the outbreaks are considered widespread, the Atlanta-based CDC said.
Peak flu season runs from December to March, but many doctors said it's unusually early to see so many people feeling so sick.
Doctors and hospitals don't have to report influenza cases to health officials, so it's difficult to pinpoint how many people have been sidelined by the disease, experts said.
But like the Virginia Health Department does, the CDC gets certain clinics and laboratories to provide influenza test results to gauge the virus' severity. In Massachusetts, for example, only nine of 68 tests submitted to the Department of Public Health this season tested positive for influenza.
The rest of the tests found flulike viruses - similar symptoms but different diseases, such as viral pneumonia and rhinoviruses.
And if you got a flu shot this year, it won't protect you from the flu look-alikes, health officials said.
Most people who turn up at emergency rooms with the general achiness are treated with fluids, Tylenol and cough medicine and sent home to rest.
However, the flu can be dangerous for the very young, the elderly and people with chronic medical conditions. It can turn into pneumonia, especially among older patients.
Each year, some 20,000 people might die of complications from influenza, CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said. This year's flu strain is primarily the Type A Wuhan virus, which in the past has been linked to higher numbers of cases, he said.
Staff writer Sandra Brown Kelly contributed information to this story.
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