Officials: Flu cases in Arizona up 758 percent

It’s official: The flu is widespread in Arizona — two months before its typical peak.

The Arizona Department of Health Services said there have been 2,976 reported cases between mid-October and Wednesday.

That’s compared with 347 cases in the same period last year — a 758 percent increase in flu activity.

February is typically peak flu season, according to the Department of Health Services, but this year, flu occurrences began to shoot up near the beginning of December.

Last week alone, there were 1,188 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu in Arizona, compared with fewer than 200 during the same time in 2016, according to a Department of Health Services report.

Flu is caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs. It spreads through the air when someone infect-

ed coughs, sneezes or talks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended everyone over 6 months old get a flu vaccine.

“Getting a flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and your family against the flu, and with the disease spreading quickly in Arizona, the time to get vaccinated is now,” said Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Department of Health Services.

Most people who get the flu will recover in less than two weeks without medical care or antiviral drugs. People with chronic health problems and those who are pregnant or of advanced age are more likely to develop flu-related complications, according to the CDC.

The Department of Health Services also recommends people use basic preventive measures, such as handwashing, covering their mouths when coughing, staying home when sick and avoiding touching their faces.

Find a place to get vaccinated at vaccinefinder.org. “It can take up to two weeks to build full immunity to the flu after you are vaccinated,” Christ said, “so I encourage everyone who has not yet had a flu shot to get one today, before the holidays.”