Lawrence faring better than Kansas City, nation in flu cases

The flu has struck much of the United States, including the Kansas City area, early this year, with the Centers for Disease Control declaring Tuesday that it reached “epidemic” levels last week.

In Lawrence, however, hospital officials said Tuesday that the community hasn’t been hit as hard as the rest of northeast Kansas and the nation.

Flu symptoms

Symptoms include a fever, cough, stuffy nose, headaches, vomiting and diarrhea. People with a chronic medical condition, pregnant women, young children and adults 65 or older are more susceptible to the flu.

“I don’t think we’re necessarily seeing what Kansas City is seeing,” said Julie Robbins, an infection prevention nurse at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Flu shots

The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, 200 Main St., provides flu vaccinations at $25 for children less than 35 months old and $30 for those age 3 and older. It is open Mondays from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesdays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The department is closed every day from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will be closed New Year’s Day.

The flu has been a factor in the deaths of two patients at Kansas University Hospital over the past two weeks. Tuesday, officials said the hospital is treating 25 confirmed flu patients and 11 others are being “presumptively” treated for the flu.

“I don’t recall ever having 10 or more in-patients at any given time for influenza,” said Lee Norman, the chief medical officer.

Norman said a flu task force at the hospital has already begun discussing what steps to take should the medical center reach capacity.

Robbins said LMH is treating eight in-patients, with no confirmed deaths. Between Dec. 28 and 29, the hospital has confirmed 15 cases. Robbins said that’s not out of the ordinary.

The flu generally peaks around January and February. But already the CDC reports that 15 children across the country have been killed by the virus. Kansas and Missouri and 20 other states are experiencing a “high rate” of flu activity, the CDC said.

According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 10 percent of hospital visits in Kansas for the week ending Dec. 20 were attributable to flu-like symptoms. That’s up from 6 percent for the same week the last two years.

One child death was reported in Colorado. None have been reported in Kansas and the rest of its bordering states.

Part of the reason for the spread of the infection is a vaccine that is less effective with the easily mutative flu virus. Ninety-six percent of flu hospitalizations across the country from October to late December were associated with a specific strain: influenza A, or H3N2, the CDC said.

KU and LMH officials both confirmed they have seen the strain.

Norman and Robbins asked the public to continue to get vaccinated. Norman said, “it may be less effective than optimal,” but the vaccine will lower the severity of the infection. Other than that, those who believe they are sick are encouraged to stay home, avoid close contact with others, wash hands and avoid touching the mouth, nose and eyes.