CDC: Virginia first to reach 'widespread' flu status this season

The flu has officially arrived in Virginia.

During the week that ended Jan. 10, the flu reached widespread status for the first time during the season, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Virginia is the first state to reach widespread status this season. But it’s only one week earlier than when the state reached widespread status last year, so there’s nothing unusual about the timing.

Last year, the flu stayed at widespread status in Virginia for 10 weeks.

“I doubt that there is really more flu in Virginia than in any other state right now,” said Diane Woolard, director of disease surveillance and investigation for the state health department. “We just have a lot of provider data coming in to us automatically, so we have a large volume of visits to analyze for flu-like illness.”

State officials don’t keep an actual count of all flu cases. Instead, flu activity is tracked by gathering information from emergency rooms and urgent care centers. Weekly reports are measured against a baseline of flu cases counted in the fall.

Once that level goes above a certain threshold and the flu virus is confirmed by labs across more than half the regions in the state, flu activity is considered to be widespread.

Flu season generally runs from November through March in Virginia, with peaks hitting in January and February. That means people still have time to get the flu vaccine, which takes a couple of weeks to be fully effective.

To help ward off flu, health officials advise washing your hands frequently, and staying home from work or school if you have flu-like symptoms.

For more information, visit the CDC Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/.

Elizabeth Simpson, (757) 446-2635, elizabeth.simpson@pilotonline.com