05-02-2025
NYC flu cases rising, health officials urge precautions
NEW YORK (PIX11) – Flu cases in the city are rising.
That has public health officials reminding people to take precautions.
The city says current flu cases are higher than peaks in the past five years.
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New York City Health and Hospitals executive director of NYC Care, Dr. Jonathan Jimenez, explains the symptoms of influenza.
'You get a fever, body aches, muscle pains, and a cough. But it's the fever and the malaise.'
Dr. Jimenez adds this year, the flu is peaking later in the year.
'There's a few reasons. There are different strains different years,' Jimenez added.
'One of the reasons we have seen influenza spread is cause people are indoors. We had an unusually warm fall so some people have hypothesized that's behind the delay in the peak.'
As of Jan. 25, more than 23,000 people tested positive for the flu in the city, four percent more than the week before.
So, for this season, one pediatric patient has died from an influenza-associated illness.
Dr. Jimenez says, 'It's dangerous for people who are very young or very old or in the middle with other conditions like diabetes lung disease are more at risk for severe outcomes.'
Dr. Jimenez recommends that people get the flu shot, wash their hands frequently, stay away from people if they are sick, and mask up.
Long Island resident Julia Hsia is on high alert – she's concerned about contracting the flu after she learned that Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu just died from pneumonia, a complication of the flu.
'I am originally from Taiwan, and there's a really well-known actress that just passed from the flu, and people were like, oh ok, it's better to get the vaccine.'
That's why Hsia booked an appointment to get the flu shot tomorrow.
Nicole Lopez-Jantzen from Woodside Queens has already got the flu. She suffers from long covid.
'Every time I get even a cold, I'm out for a week. Definitely flu, COVID, RSV cold. I don't want to get any of it, so the easiest thing is to mask on the subway.'
Health and hospitals remind people they can get tested and vaccinated at a city-run facility for a low cost or free, regardless of their insurance or immigration status.
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