Northern California doctors hope warmer weather will help stem worst flu season in years
SACRAMENTO – New numbers show this flu season is the worst we've seen in years – and for the first time since the pandemic, more people are dying from influenza than from COVID.
February is turning into a busy month for healthcare workers treating people who are sick.
"It's a bad flu and there's a lot of it," said Dr. Jennifer Nuovo, the Chief Medical Officer for Blue Shield of California's Promise Health Plan.
Dr. Nuovo says this year's influenza levels are the highest in more than seven years.
"It's called a high-severity season and we honestly have not seen a high-severity flu season since 2017/2018, so we're a little rusty," Dr. Nuovo said.
Flu hospitalizations in California peaked the first week of February with more than 4,300 people having to be admitted.
Last week, the number was still high at more than 2,600.
"Hospitals are busy, the ICUs are busy, and the doctors' offices are busy. Every appointment is booked," Dr. Nuovo said.
So why is this flu season so bad?
"The influenza-a strain that's circulating is particularly infectious," Dr. Nuovo said.
A big concern is vulnerable populations like infants and the elderly.
Last week, four more children died from the flu in California – bringing the season total to 15 deaths. And the state health department says only a small percentage of Californians got a flu shot this season.
"If you have not had the flu shot it is not too late, we still have another full month and a half of pretty high flu rates," Dr. Nuovo said.
Some people are also wearing masks in public to help stop the spread.
At Tuesday's Sacramento city council meeting, two of the nine council members were masked up while they recovered.
But there could be some relief on the way. Dr. Nuovo says this weekend's warmer weather across the state could help get flu levels lower.
"We're going to be outside more, the fresh air is definitely going to help us," Dr. Nuovo said. "We're lucky to have this nice week ahead of us."
Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 24 million people have gotten the flu so far this year. There have been 13,000 deaths, according to the CDC.
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Yahoo
43 minutes ago
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Nutritionists Are Sharing Alcohol 'Rules' You Should Really Be Following, Including Women Having No More Than One Drink Per Day
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What mindful drinking means for one person might not be the same as for another, but in essence it's bringing awareness to your alcohol consumption and choosing to drink when you actually want to, not just as a reflex while watching the game or as a crutch to deal with stress. Although some people who follow this lifestyle do still drink, others don't, making the definition fluid and customizable to what's right for you. In the end, your decision to drink or not to drink is up to you. But for those who decide to imbibe, nutritionists say there are some things to keep in mind. Below, they share the alcohol guidelines you should follow if you do choose to drink. 1. The CDC guidelines say women should have no more than one drink per day and men should have no more than two. 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'Overloading [your body] with alcohol on one day and not drinking for seven days or more can be more harmful than just drinking one drink for women or two drinks for men on a single day ... our bodies are able to process that amount of alcohol.' Not be a buzzkill, but one alcoholic drink does not mean a Long Island iced tea (a cocktail that combines gin, vodka, rum, tequila and triple sec). Instead, the CDC says one drink is equivalent to a 12-ounce beer that is 5% alcohol by volume (ABV), 5 ounces of wine that's 12% ABV, 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor or 8 ounces of malt liquor that is 7% ABV. But know that alcohol is not beneficial to your health. ″[It's] really important to know that recently, I think as of last year, the World Health Organization actually came out and said that no amount of alcohol is safe,' said Sumner Brooks, a registered dietitian and author of 'How to Raise an Intuitive Eater.' 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Rohna Kearney and colleagues reported that primiparous women with LAM defect 9-12 months after first vaginal delivery were older than those with intact LAM (32.8 years vs 29.3 years). Not surprisingly, those with a major defect were older than those with a minor defect. • Age-related tissue impairment: Although Zabriskie's group found no research specifically addressing primiparous age and tissue defects, studies of cellular and tissue-level changes show that older women with pelvic floor muscle impairment have increased oxidative stress and differential gene expression of extracellular matrix proteins in pelvic floor muscle, the vaginal wall, and the uterosacral ligaments compared with older women without such impairment. Jill M. Rabin, MD Commenting on the review but not involved in it, Jill M. 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In her practice, she does not 'pathologize prolapse' for patients but she does teach them to maximize their core and pelvic muscle strength before, during, and after recovering from pregnancy and to maintain pelvic floor support between pregnancies. 'Core strength can reduce pressure on the pelvic organs,' she said, adding that at the cellular level, it's also important to support muscle cells with adequate protein intake and good hydration. Zabriskie and colleagues pointed to the need to identify the cellular, molecular, and transcriptomic differences brought on by age, as well as research to clarify the specific relationship between maternal age at first delivery and the onset and progression of pelvic support impairment. POP risk in younger mothers should also be studied. 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