Saturday, January 26, 2013
The brunt of the flu virus may have passed, but other strains of the virus are keeping the number of flu-like illnesses high in Maryland.
The flu strain that has been making many sick in Maryland and around the country may be peaking, but that doesn't mean it's time to cease precautions and skip the flu shot. Other strains could circulate, keeping the flu around for months. Overall, the intensity of flu-like illnesses in Maryland remains high, according to the latest Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene report for the week ending Jan. 19. The influenza virus was geographically widespread according to the last report, meaning there is flu activity throughout different regions, said David Blythe, a medical epidemiologist with the state. While the virus is difficult to predict, he said there is a possibility the flu has peaked and is headed toward a decline. Even …
Friday, January 11, 2013
Google Flu Trends "uses aggregated Google search data to estimate current flu activity around the world in near real-time," its website stated.
Flu cases appear to be rising still in Maryland, according to Google Flu Trends, which "uses aggregated Google search data to estimate current flu activity around the world in near real-time," the Google Flu Trends website stated. Google Flu Trends data indicates that the number of flu cases in Maryland started rising in mid-November. As of Jan. 11, the flu has reached the "intense" category in Maryland, whereas at this time last year, the number of flu cases was only in the "moderate" range. Earlier this week, Montgomery County hospitals reported an uptick in patients suffering from flu-like symptoms. At Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, about 30 extra patients a day are visiting the emergency room, many of them complaining of flu-like …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Patients with flu-like symptoms are crowding emergency rooms as officials gear up for what could be a bad flu season.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Has your family gotten this flu that's going around? Because my family just had it and it is terrrrrible.
I've been reading Facebook status after Facebook status describing whole families falling victim to the flu. It seems that a particularly virulent, contagious version of the plague is traveling rapidly around the region. Each time I saw one of those statuses, I mentally sent sad thoughts the way of the afflicted families and thanked my lucky stars that I wasn't one of them. I should have known that our luck wouldn't hold. I'm glad that we managed to get through the holidays and New Year's without anyone being sick, but I wish that my youngest son hadn't fallen ill on the very first day back to school after break. I sent everyone off that morning and happily settled in to taking care of my post-holidays to-do list when I got an email from …
Patients with flu-like symptoms are crowding emergency rooms as officials gear up for what could be a bad flu season.
Montgomery County hospitals are seeing an increase in patients with flu-like symptoms as the number of influenza cases across the state and the country rises and health officials gear up for a flu season that could be the one of the worst in a decade. The flu is spreading earlier and faster than usual in the Washington, DC, region this year, The Washington Post reported, and Maryland is experiencing widespread cases. In Maryland so far this season, 2,362 have tested positive for the flu, according to The Baltimore Sun. But since many patients are treated for flu-like symptoms without being tested, the number is likely much higher, said Mary Anderson, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. The …
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Flu is on a steady increase in Maryland, but residents are getting better at protecting themselves and cases aren’t as bad as last year, according to health officials.
Flu cases are on the rise across Maryland, and the H1N1 virus that caused a pandemic in 2009 is among the strains. The state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported “widespread” flu activity in mid January and expects the number of people who get sick, require hospitalization or die from flu to peak in late February. But the flu has two strikes against it this year: The vaccine protects against the three most common strains of the virus, including H1N1, and people are getting better at personal hygiene, said Dr. Jeff Sternlicht, chairman of emergency medicine at Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) in Baltimore. “Overall hygiene has markedly improved since last year,” he said. “Hand washing, coughing into the arm… people have …
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Local supplies of the natural remedy may dwindle due to the decreasing population of honeybees.
Frenzied by forecasts of snowstorms and freezing weather, we all worry about getting sick and want to avoid catching the flu. Should you catch it, however, you may find relief at a local farm stand – honey! Honey is often touted as natural remedy for a variety of ailments ranging from sore throats to allergies to arthritis. Many of our moms have long told us that tea with honey soothes a sore throat, but some medical research supports the claim that honey can help relieve cough symptoms, sometimes as effectively as cough medicine. There are even some theories that locally produced honey can help relieve allergy symptoms during allergy season. Locally produced honey can be hard to find, however, according to Woody Medina, member of the …
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Jean Winegardner
7:13 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013
I am SO sorry to hear this. I hope you feel better soon! more ›