Holiday buzzkill: The flu is just getting started here

EVERETT — The flu is here in time to ruin Christmas.

In Snohomish County, 15 people ages 8 to 91 have been hospitalized this flu season. There were 249 new confirmed cases during the one-week period ending Dec. 14, nearly double the number from the previous week.

“It’s spreading like wildfire,” said Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, who monitors influenza for The Everett Clinic.

Eight people have died from the flu in Washington, including a child. No deaths have been confirmed in Snohomish County so far this season. Last year there were 26 deaths in the county, and 362 people were hospitalized.

Five schools in the district have reported an absence rate of over 10% due to influenza-like illness. A long-term care facility also had an outbreak.

Health officials track two main strains of influenza — designated as A and B. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 3.7 million flu illnesses, mostly the B variety, have been reported so far this year. Of those, 32,000 required hospitalization and 1,800 people have died from the flu, including 19 children, the CDC said.

On a CDC map, Washington is a red state, indicating the highest intensity of influenza. Eleven other states are red.

“Influenza B is hitting this area hard right now,” said Heather Thomas, a spokesperson for the Snohomish Health District. Only about 10% of the latest cases were Influenza A.

From Dec. 16 to 19, there were 184 patients at The Everett Clinic testing positive, mainly for influenza B. Those numbers include a small part of King County.

“It is unusual to see influenza B to this degree early in the season,” Tu said. “Usually influenza B comes in later in the season.”

Those outpatient numbers are an indicator of what’s to come, he said.

“These are three weeks in front of what happens in the hospital,” Tu said.

“We’re not in the peak of the season,” Tu said. “What everybody is on pins and needles about is that right now we are having this influenza spike, which is still going up as far as numbers.”

Thomas, with the Snohomish Health District, said people who are sick should avoid going out or preparing food for others.

“It’s not too late to get a flu shot,” Tu said. “There are plenty available.”

Andrea Brown: abrown@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3443. Twitter @reporterbrown.