Local infectious disease specialists say they are seeing an increase in those infected with the virus known by many as swine flu.
Flu season is here, local health officials said, and the predominant virus is one that caused a pandemic in 2009.
"This is the first time since the pandemic that this virus has been so widespread in the United States," said Erin Burns, a health communications specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The virus has continued to circulate globally in people as the H1N1 subtype since the pandemic."
Local infectious disease specialists say they are seeing an increase in those infected with the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu.
Easton Hospital's Chief Medical Officer Roman Tuma said about 60 cases tested positive for influenza so far this year and 63 percent were the swine flu. He's urging the public to get a flu vaccination, which now includes a vaccine for the H1N1 strain.
The flu season began in December and "nobody knows how much longer this influenza season will go," Tuma said.
"It's unpredictable," he said.
There has been 125 cases through all St. Luke's campuses and very few people have been admitted to the hospital, he said. More than 90 percent of cases are H1N1, he said.
The swine flu has been more prominent in the younger population, Jahre said, with 80 percent of cases being under the age of 50.
Like other health officials, Jahre is encouraging the public to get a flu vaccination as soon as possible. The current vaccine is a "good match with the strains that are in circulation," he said.
"Flu season certainly is here and will be here in all likelihood for a number of weeks," Jahre said. "It is not too late to take preventative measures."
Judy Leone, public health nurse supervisor for the Warren County Health Department, said there are other common-sense, preventative measures that can be taken to stay healthy and avoid spreading illness.
She stressed that frequently washing hands, properly covering coughs and thoroughly cleaning surfaces are good practices. The virus can live on surfaces for hours, and people with it can stay contagious for up to seven days, Leone said.
"The best thing to do for people who are ill is to either stay home from school or stay home from work," she said.
***
FLU FACTS
People at high risk for serious flu complications include those with underlying chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, morbid obesity, and neurological conditions; pregnant women; those younger than 5 or older than 65; and anyone with a weakened immune system.
A full list of high risk factors is available here.
Hospitalization rates among people 65 and older and children younger than 5 are still the highest across all age groups, but younger people are being hospitalized in greater numbers this season.
More than 60 percent of hospitalizations occur in people between the ages of 18 and 64, a somewhat unusual pattern for seasonal flu but similar to the 2009 swine flu pandemic.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention