Flu season picking up in Massachusetts ahead of holidays

Updated: 8:31 PM EST Dec 6, 2024

FIVE ON YOUR HEALTH TONIGHT. FLU CASES. THEY ARE ON THE RISE IN MASSACHUSETTS. SO COULD THEY AFFECT YOUR HOLIDAY PLANS? HERE WITH SOME ADVICE IS DOCTOR SCOTT HADLAND, THE CHIEF OF ADOLESCENT MEDICINE AT MASS GENERAL FOR CHILDREN? DOCTOR HADLAND THANKS FOR BEING HERE ON THIS FRIDAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. ALL RIGHT. LET’S START WITH THE CURRENT MAP, IF WE CAN. FLU ACTIVITY. IT’S STILL LOW IN BOSTON AND THE BOSTON METRO AREA, BUT YOU CAN SEE THE COLOR HAS NOW BEEN CHANGED TO KIND OF AN ORANGE YELLOW MODERATE COLOR FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN MASS. SO WORCESTER COUNTY AND THEN ON DOWN THROUGH THE CAPE. DOES THAT MEAN THOUGH THAT FLU SEASON IS ARRIVING? YEAH, FLU SEASON IS HERE. SO YOU KNOW, IN OUR CLINICS IN BOSTON, OUR EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS, WE’RE SEEING LOTS OF SORE THROATS, RUNNY NOSES, FEVERS, COUGHS, BODY ACHES, ALL THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT MAKE US TEST FOR FLU. AND SURE ENOUGH, WE’RE STARTING TO SEE THAT OUR FLU TESTING POSITIVITY RATES ARE COMING UP. SO PEOPLE ARE TESTING POSITIVE FOR IT. I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THAT MAP, FLU SEASON HIT A LITTLE BIT LATER THIS YEAR. YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS AGO FLU CASES STARTED TO TAKE OFF IN ABOUT OCTOBER INTO NOVEMBER LAST YEAR IT WAS A LITTLE BIT LATER THAN THAT. KIND OF MORE NOVEMBER ISH. THIS YEAR IT’S REALLY ONLY BEEN TAKING OFF IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. SO THAT’S A LITTLE BIT LATER. AND I’M OPTIMISTIC BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT’S THE CASE THAT WHEN FLU ARRIVES LATER, IT MEANS IT’S A LESS BAD YEAR FOR THE FLU. FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE. BUT WE JUST DON’T KNOW. AND SO IT’S STILL IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US TO GET VACCINATED. OKAY. WELL, WE CAN WE CAN HOPE THAT THAT IS THE CASE. MEANTIME. SO THE VACCINE TYPICALLY, YOU KNOW, THE FLU BEFORE BU. SO BEFORE HALLOWEEN. BUT APPARENTLY ONLY 32% OF PEOPLE IN THE STATE HAVE RECEIVED THAT VACCINE. SO WHAT DO YOU WANT THE OTHER 68% OF FOLKS TO KNOW? YEAH. YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY TWO THINGS TO THOSE FOLKS. I MEAN, THE FIRST THING IS THAT FLU VACCINATION IS RECOMMENDED FOR EVERYBODY SIX MONTHS AND OLDER, BUT IT’S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE PREEXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS. HEART PROBLEMS, LUNG PROBLEMS, KIDS WHO MAY HAVE BEEN BORN PREMATURELY ARE AT ELEVATED RISK. ADULTS, YOU KNOW, WHO HAVE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED OR ELDERLY ADULTS ARE AT HIGHER RISK FOR SEVERE DISEASE. AND SO WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET VACCINATED. AND IF THOSE ARE OUR LOVED ONES THAT WE GET VACCINATED TO PROTECT THEM, THE SECOND THING I WOULD SAY IS NOW IS THE TIME, RIGHT? WE TEND TO THINK OF FLU VACCINATION AS TAKING ABOUT TWO WEEKS TO BUILD UP THE IMMUNITY THAT HELPS PROTECT FOLKS. WELL, TWO WEEKS FROM NOW AND A FEW DAYS IS CHRISTMAS, HANUKKAH, KWANZAA. RIGHT. SO IF WE GET VACCINATED NOW, WE’RE PROTECTED GOING INTO THOSE HOLIDAYS WHEN WE’RE GATHERING WITH LOVED ONES. ALL RIGHT. SO HOW DO YOU LOWER THE RISK FOR YOUR FAMILY? AND DO YOU WORRY, GIVEN THESE NUMBERS? I MEAN, ONLY A THIRD OF THE PEOPLE IN THE STATE HAVE GOTTEN THESE VACCINES THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME VACCINE FATIGUE OUT THERE. NOW THAT IT USED TO JUST BE AN ANNUAL FLU SHOT. NOW IT’S FLU AND COVID AND WE’VE OBVIOUSLY GONE THROUGH A LOT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. YEAH, WE’RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO REMIND FOLKS OF JUST HOW PROTECTIVE AND IMPORTANT THESE VACCINES ARE FOR PEOPLE, AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO GET THEM IN BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS. YOU KNOW, MY FAMILY, MY KIDS ARE FULLY VACCINATED, INCLUDING WITH THIS YEAR’S FLU VACCINE, AND WE’RE DOING ALL THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW ARE IMPORTANT STAYING HOME IF WE’RE SICK, WEARING MASKS, IF WE’RE, YOU KNOW, SICK AND SO THAT WE’RE NOT, YOU KNOW, SPREADING DISEASES TO OTHER ILLNESSES, TO OTHER PEOPLE, MAKING SURE WE’RE WASHING OUR HANDS USING HAND SANITIZER, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. BUT I THINK I ALSO WANT TO REITERATE, THOUGH, THAT THERE ARE VACCINES NOT JUST FOR KIDS, BUT FOR ADULTS. RIGHT. AND SO IN OUR CLINIC WHERE WE CARE FOR YOUNG ADULTS, WE’VE SEEN SOME CASES OF PERTUSSIS. PERTUSSIS IS A VACCINE PREVENTABLE ILLNESS THAT IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN A DOCTOR FOR A FEW YEARS, YOU CAN GET IF YOUR BOOSTERS RUN OUT, THERE’S A NEW VACCINE FOR ELDERLY FOLKS WHO ARE 75 AND OLDER TO PROTECT THEM AGAINST RSV, OR FOLKS WHO ARE 65 AND OLDER WHO HAVE CERTAIN MEDICAL CONDITIONS CAN GET THIS RSV VACCINE. AND SO OTHER PEOPLE IN OUR FAMILY WHO ARE ADULTS CAN ALSO GET PROTECTED HEADING INTO THE HOLIDAYS. SO DON’T JUST THINK ABO

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Flu season picking up in Massachusetts ahead of holidays

Updated: 8:31 PM EST Dec 6, 2024

Dr. Scott Hadland said doctors are seeing lots of sore throats, runny noses, fevers and other flu symptoms.

NEEDHAM, Mass. —

Dr. Scott Hadland said doctors are seeing lots of sore throats, runny noses, fevers and other flu symptoms.

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