Strong flu season reported

EPHRATA – Grant County Public Health Officer Dr. Alexander Brzezny reported to the March meeting of the board of health that this season of Influenza is quite robust.

There is proof this is the strongest season for Influenza nationally in the last decade, he said. At this point the deaths for Pneumonia and Influenza in pediatric patients have doubled compared to 2009 - 2010 season.

“There are concerns that the vaccine is not effective in the elderly,” Brezny said. “The thought is the immune system is the reason for this. There is however a high power vaccine that is available for the elderly to help with this.”

For the month of March, there were 40 flu reports for Grant County, 98% of them being Influenza B. But there were no reported influenza deaths.

Brezny reported that the Norovirus is decreasing. The outbreaks in the nursing homes have declined, and there were no reported outbreaks in March.

Brzezny reported to the board in February about a case of Bovine TB in the lymph node of a dairy cow from Grant County that was slaughtered in Cowlitz County.

There was concern, he said, as to whether there was any exposure danger to residents in Grant County that worked around the animal. There is reported to be no danger based on reports from the state and the USDA.

Brzezny discussed SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) with the board in 2012. In March he reported the virus has re-emerged in a different form in the Middle East.

There have not been any cases reported in Washington or elsewhere in the United States. The CDC suggested that the virus has little chance of infection, he said. It appears that is not the same virus as in 2006.

Brzezny commended the City of Moses Lake for proposing a bike helmet ordinance.