What professionals are expecting to see from the flu in North Mississippi

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – Flu season is making an early look in Mississippi, and that’s very true right here within the Northern a part of the state.

In reality, North Mississippi is ranked quantity two on Walgreens’ nationwide Flu Index Map.

The flu has been spreading, and it doesn’t appear to be it will likely be slowing down anytime quickly.

That has space medical doctors involved.

Everyone knows the signs: physique aches, fever, runny nostril, or a dry cough.

Healthcare professionals, like Dr. Jordan Steele, are seeing extra folks with these signs coming by means of their doorways.

“Quantity is tremendous excessive proper now with largely flu. It’s all ages. We’re seeing youngsters as younger as a 12 months previous all the best way to the aged of their 80s with the flu. Quantity is up total for the flu 50-60 folks a day. Some days we might even see as much as 30 instances and for the previous month or in order that has been the norm,” mentioned Steele.

Steele mentioned the rise in flu instances might boil right down to a scarcity of warning.

“We’re going to soccer video games, basketball video games. We’re going to eating places. We’re simply extra collectively and I agree with that wholly. I feel we should always.
I feel that it’s regular for us as a society, however with that, there’s at all times going to be elevated incidents in communicable sickness and I feel that’s the reason we’re seeing an uptick within the flu, ” mentioned Steele.

With public actions resuming, faculties are again to full-time, face-to-face studying this 12 months.

Head of College at Oak Hill Academy, Dr. Cathy Davis says that pandemic procedures have helped them hold their flu numbers down.

“Up to now this 12 months now we have not had an issue with the flu. We’ve got had a number of remoted instances right here and there, however we’ve been very lucky thus far and we hope that pattern continues at Oak Hill,” mentioned Davis.

Retired West Level and Clay County Emergency Administration, Director Kerrie Blissard is now the Communication Supervisor for the varsity.

She mentioned that she and her workers have a plan in place if there’s a flu outbreak.

“We’ve got a textual content messaging system, e mail system, that we make the most of right here on the college. If now we have, as an example in the course of the Covid state of affairs, if we had an remoted case in a classroom we might ship a discover to these class dad and mom relating to that state of affairs,” mentioned Blissard.

Even when the varsity has to shut due to an outbreak, lessons can go on with out lacking a beat.

“We do have the capabilities right here for each trainer to report themselves and to do classes from the classroom. We’ve got on-line lesson plans. We’ve got on-line capabilities that may be a seamless manner for our college students to proceed studying,” mentioned Davis.

Steele mentioned that it’s at all times a good suggestion to get the flu shot.

Whereas it doesn’t present 100% safety, your signs might be much less extreme than if you happen to didn’t get the shot.

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