An emergency room doctor at UF Health reported a surge in patient volumes over the Christmas holiday driven by a severe flu season and common colds, with particularly high numbers among pediatric patients. Dr. Sonya Rashid, an emergency physician, noted the impact of increased illness rates. “We’re seeing an increase in patient volumes. Our staffing has increased as well because it is flu season along with common colds. A lot of pediatric patients as well testing positive for flu.”
Rashid described working the night shift on Christmas as “very difficult,” with the emergency room busier than expected and “no quiet times” as people sought care for flu symptoms. Children appear particularly vulnerable to severe illness during this flu season, with the potential for complications. “This year, we’re having a really bad flu season and with the flu, the pediatric patients can be more predisposed to developing pneumonia. So, we do see that as well when the fever continues and the coughing is getting worse,” Rashid said.
Vaccine Effectiveness and Limitations
Determining flu vaccine effectiveness presents challenges, according to Rashid. Seasonal flu vaccines are manufactured for virus strains that were predominant when production occurred, but the influenza virus constantly evolves. “It’s really hard to say how effective the vaccines are for flu because a lot of times, when the vaccines are made for flu the traditional way, they are made for strains that may have been predominant beforehand, and the flu is an ever-changing virus that changes constantly,” she explained.
However, vaccination does offer protection. “Getting vaccinated does help your chances a lot if you get the flu because your symptoms will be milder,” Rashid said, noting that while vaccines may not prevent infection entirely, they reduce symptom severity.
Treatment Considerations
Antiviral medications like oseltamivir are available for flu treatment but carry side effects including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and in some cases psychiatric effects such as nightmares. For this reason, many physicians reserve antivirals for severe cases that could threaten a patient’s life.
Rashid emphasized basic prevention measures, particularly masks and handwashing. Since influenza spreads through droplets rather than airborne transmission, “wearing a mask effective along with washing your hands because of the way you get the flu” remains important.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://us.headtopics.com/news/uf-health-doctor-says-there-was-a-surge-in-flu-cold-77889372