UC San Francisco doctor says flu cases likely to keep rising due to holiday gatherings

By Amanda Hari

As the holiday season is winding down, flu season is ramping up.

Health officials said there has been a sharp rise in cases across the country, and that includes the Bay Area.

“This particular one seems to be causing a lot of cough, shortness of breath, fever,” said UCSF Infectious Disease specialist Doctor Monica Gandhi. “Unfortunately, it can cause runny nose, sore throat, so it’s really uncomfortable.”

Gandhi also described it as long-lasting.

The specific strain of influenza A is H3N2, and she said it’s exactly what specialists predicted.

“We had seen this in the southern hemisphere over the summer, so we actually expected it to come in North America, and as we predicted, it’s December, January, that we see these higher rates of influenza,” Gandhi explained.

Gandhi said because it’s the anticipated strain, the influenza vaccine is particularly effective, and it’s one of the best ways to protect yourself while gathering and celebrating the new year.

“If you haven’t gotten it, I would get it,” Gandhi stated. “It’s very safe, it’s actually very geared towards the right virus strain because we knew what happened in the southern hemisphere last summer. Second is crack a window. Keep some ventilation going in your party.”

For those who are sick, her advice is stay home and away from other people. As is typical, symptoms from the virus have been more severe in the very young and the very old, and early intervention can make a big difference.

“It’s called Oseltamivir or Tamiflu, and if you can get to a physician or call the urgent care within the first few days of symptoms, this can really reduce your duration of symptoms and make you feel a lot better,” said Gandhi.

So far this season, the CDC estimates there have been at least 7.5 million flu illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations, and 3,100 deaths.

Gandhi thinks those numbers will increase before they start leveling off.

“I think it will probably get worse for at least another two weeks, because these are the gatherings,” Gandhi detailed. “Both Christmas and now New Year’s. So, give it two more weeks and then hopefully it will start coming down.”