By Ian Nikkel, FOX23.com News Staff
GREEN COUNTRY, Okla. — Flu cases have been rising nationwide, including here in Green Country.
Over the past two weeks, flu cases have skyrocketed and experts said they still haven’t reached their peak.
These flu cases also include a new variant that’s being called the “Super Flu.”
Dr. Abhishek Shakya, a Tulsa Health Department official, explained what makes this Super Flu variant different from the regular flu.
“The main influenza virus name is H3N2 and obviously that different name is either subclade A or the Super Flu where individuals have symptoms of fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, body aches. Sometimes it may follow up with any kind of gastrointestinal issues.”
Dr. Shakya shared the best steps to take when fighting any kind of flu.
“We want to make sure they’re staying home, have them up to date on their vaccines, on their annual flu vaccines. That’s something I would say to look into because we’re still not late. We’re kind of in the mid-season. Our season goes from October to May, so we are halfway there. It’s never too late to get the vaccine and the other thing is making sure that you’re washing your hands.”
However, Dr. Shakya said, despite the new variant and rise in cases, there’s no need to panic.
“[The case numbers] can urge people to be scared, fearful of it, but as long as you’re taking those preventative measures in place, I would not be worried at all.”
Dr. Shakya said he’s interested to see the number of cases released on Thursday, explaining that those numbers will determine the severity of this Super Flu.
To view the flu numbers from the Tulsa Health Department, click here.
To view the flu numbers for the state of Oklahoma, click here.
