Cases of influenza continue to rise across New York State, with activity categorized as geographically widespread for the past four weeks. “Widespread” is defined as increased or sustained numbers of lab-confirmed cases reported in more than 31 of New York’s 62 counties. As of Friday, there have been 5,818 hospitalizations due to influenza; 2,206 of these occurred in the past week. Statewide this season, 73 outbreaks have been reported in hospitals and 91 in nursing homes. Two influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported last week.
The New York State Department of Health continues to encourage New Yorkers to get the flu vaccine. Declaring flu prevalent on December 18, State Health Commissioner James V. McDonald, MD, said in a later press release, “If you haven’t already, today is a good day to get the current flu vaccine; it is safe and will lessen symptoms if you do get the flu.” For more information, including masking regulations, please see ICB-20 (dated December 23, 2024).
Flu Facts
Flu symptoms start suddenly, usually appearing between one and four days after exposure. The virus is transmissible from the day before symptom development to five to seven days after the onset of symptoms. The flu vaccine takes about two weeks to be fully effective. As for treating the flu, antivirals—if taken at the onset of illness—can lessen the severity of symptoms and decrease the duration.
The risk of catching flu or other respiratory illnesses can also be reduced by avoiding touching your face, eyes, nose, and mouth and washing your hands after contact with potentially contaminated surfaces. Additionally, adherence to good respiratory etiquette and wearing a mask will reduce the risk of transmission.
The NYS Flu tracker is updated weekly and provides useful data on cases and hospitalizations by week and by season.