Flu Cases Spiking In Missoula – Over A Dozen Hospitalized
Flu cases are spiking in Missoula.
Infectious Disease Specialist with the Missoula City County Health Department, Pam Whitney, said Missoula is far outpacing the rest of the state with cases of influenza A.
"We win the prize for the state," Whitney said. "Last week I saw a much steeper incline since we started keeping track in October. For instance, last week we had 11 cases while the week before we had four.There have been 29 hospitalizations around the state, and Missoula probably had about 12 of them."
Whitney said the very young and the elderly make up the bulk of the flu cases.
"It's those elderly and the very young, zero to four years old is the primary population that we're seeing," she said. "The populations between five and 45, they've all received flu shots, so they're protected, but those under six months and the elderly are the ones that need some help."
Whitney said there are several places around western Montana where flu shots are available.
"You can get flu shots at the pharmacies at Costco, Walgreen's, the hospitals and of course, here at the Health Department," she said. "Anyone insured by the Affordable Care Act gets their flu shots free."
Whitney said there's still a good supply of flu shots, and it's never too late to be vaccinated.