Flu flurries hit the Lowcountry

Feeling feverish with muscle aches, headaches, chills? If it seems like everyone you know is getting sick lately, you may be right. Cases of the flu virus are hitting the Lowcountry hard again this year.

Nationwide, flu season typically peaks in the months of January and February, which is exactly what local health care providers are already seeing.

"I have filled more prescriptions for TamiFlu and given more flu shots this year than in years past," says Dr. Neely Kelleher, a pharmacist at Delta Pharmacy on Daniel Island.

"A flu shot is between 75 and 85 percent effective for the strains we expect to see in the population this year," explains Kelleher. "This year's vaccine helps prevent four strains of the influenza virus."

However, the vaccine does not keep one from getting the flu, it just lessens its strength and keeps one from becoming deathly ill.

The latest data from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control shows there were 871 flu cases during the week ending December 24, 2016. There were only 87 cases during this same week in 2015. So far for the 2016-2017 season, which began in October, South Carolina has seen 138 hospitalizations and three deaths.

South Carolina is, overall, in the “severe” category when it comes to cold and flu symptoms reported this year. Charleston and Dorchester counties are listed under the “moderate-to-severe” category of symptoms reported by residents. Berkeley County is listed as “moderate.”

According to the National Center for Disease Control, as of November 2016, only about two out of five people in the U.S. had reported having received this season’s flu vaccine. The vaccine offered substantial benefit last season by preventing an estimated five million flu illnesses and 71,000 flu hospitalizations.

Some Daniel Island residents say they thought the flu vaccine could actually cause flu symptoms. Dr. Kelleher says that is a misconception.

“The flu vaccine actually contains dead strains of the virus,” she explains. “If you’re feeling under the weather after receiving the vaccine, it is likely that your immune response has kicked in, which may leave you feeling a bit tired or achy.”

In addition to the flu shot, drinking fluids, rest, washing your hands, and staying away from people who are already ill are the most effective.