Illinois public health boss: Flu season strong, not as bad as last year

Posted on January 5, 2019
Illinois public health managers say the flu season is starting to peak, but we won’t know if this is the worst of the flu outbreak till its over. (Illinois Department of Public Health Facebook page)

 

By Illinois Radio Network/Benjamin Yount

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ public health managers say the flu season is starting to peak, but residents won’t know if this is the worst of the flu outbreak until it’s over.

The flu already has claimed the life of one child in Illinois. Statewide, flu cases are above where they were in 2016.

But Dr. Nirav Shah, head of the the Illinois Department of Public Health, said it’s too soon to tell is the flu season is peaking.

“As much as we would all love to have a crystal ball that could help us predict whether this year is going to be as bad or worse than last year, unfortunately science just doesn’t allow us to know what the future is going to be with this year’s flu season,” Shah said.

Last year was one of the worst flu seasons in recent years.

“This year in Illinois, although the number of cases has been steadily going up, we are about at where we have been in prior years with respect to the number of cases of flu, and the number of people who are reporting flu like symptoms,” Shah said.

Illinois does not track flu cases.  The state only tracks ICU admissions and child deaths. The latest flu report from the end of December says one child in the state died from the flu this season.

The IDPH’s report also said this season’s outbreak is strong, but so far it’s mainly just a regional outbreak. Shah said flu season can last until the spring.

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