Season's 1st flu shows up in Yellowstone County MT

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Season's 1st flu shows up in county

By DIANE COCHRAN Of The Billings Gazette Staff

Three Yellowstone County residents have confirmed cases of the flu,

marking the first official appearance of the virus in the area this

winter.

Two women and a school-age girl have influenza A, RiverStone Health

reported Friday. RiverStone is the county health department.

Montana's first flu case of the 2008-09 season was diagnosed in Deer

Lodge County in early December. Influenza has since been confirmed in

Gallatin, and , Missoula, Pondera and Cascade counties.

The flu arrived later in Yellowstone County than it did last winter,

when the first local case was confirmed on Dec. 11, 2007. The season

peaked in early February with a total of 613 reported cases.

Many more cases were likely not reported because people did not seek

medical attention.

Hand hygiene and vaccination are the best ways to avoid getting the

flu, which kills 36,000 Americans annually.

It is not too late to get a flu vaccine, health officials said. It

takes about two weeks after a shot for the body to build up enough

antibodies to fight off the virus.

" We have tons of vaccine available, " said RiverStone's Dr.

Crichlow. " The peak is typically in February or March. Last year it

was early February. It's an excellent time to get vaccinated. "

Health officials estimated that 51,000 Yellowstone County residents

already have been vaccinated. Health officials think the vaccine is

more effective than the one that was available last year.

" Based on the strain studies the CDC has completed so far, the viruses

circulating are similar to the vaccine strain, " said Bonnie Barnard,

communicable-disease surveillance epidemiologist for the state

Department of Public Health and Human Services.

For those who get the flu, the antiviral drug Tamiflu should be

effective in easing symptoms and hastening recovery. Most of the

influenza present in Montana is not resistant to the medication,

Barnard said.

Because of a mutation, the influenza viruses circulating the rest of

the country are Tamiflu-resistant. Another antiviral drug, Relenza, is

still effective but is difficult to administer because it comes in

powder form.

Flu infection is characterized by fever, headache, tiredness, dry

cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body ache. Symptoms begin one

to four days after the virus enters the body, and a person can be

contagious for as long as five days after getting sick.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/01/10/news/local/26-flu.prt