The flu may not be here to stay, but it’s certainly here for a little longer. In fact, State Epidemiologist Craig Humbaugh says the most recent report bumped influenza activity back up to the regional category. Humbaugh says another review will be done on Tuesday.
“It’s not unusual for us to see some peaks and valleys during the flu season. This has been a particularly long flu season cause it did start early for us in Kentucky and it’s continued on,” said Humbaugh.
Humbaugh says it’s difficult to say how long this flu season will last. But, he adds he wouldn’t be surprised if it reaches into May. For that reason, a flu shot remains a good idea for those who have not gotten it. But, he says it wouldn’t provide any protection for this fall’s arrival of flu.
“Flu is very cagey that its survival mechanism is changing its genetics just a little bit each year, so that maybe a slightly different strain is going around and that’s one of the reasons why we recommend a flu vaccine each flu season,” added Humbaugh.
Humbaugh says warmer weather usually helps bring an end to much of the flu activity. He says the disease likes cold conditions and often passes from one individual to another inside buildings.
