Influenza still hitting Chase County; state’s first pediatric death reported

Health professionals in Chase County continue to see new patients with influenza.
    Nebraska is ranked “widespread” for the incidence of influenza, according to the weekly surveillance map from the Nebraska Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
    Health officials say a 5-year-old child in Nebraska has died from influenza as an outbreak of the respiratory viral illness blankets the country, marking the state’s first pediatric death from the flu this season.
    In a Jan. 24 news release, the DHHS confirmed the child’s death in central Nebraska. In all, since October, 22 people, including the one child, have died from the flu in Nebraska.
    Thirty children nationwide have succumbed to the flu this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
    Wauneta-Palisade Schools noted that it has seen approximately two confirmed cases in the school system so far. Both of which were in the Palisade Attendance Center.
    Angie Paisley, R.N., school nurse at Chase County Schools, said she’s unsure if the flu has peaked yet.
    She’s aware of six positively diagnosed influenza cases in CCS students the past three weeks—one of them just this week. Those are added to four earlier cases just after the first of the year among students.
    Paisley said there’s another virus going around that’s mimicking influenza, but those affected don’t feel as bad.
    “We’ve had a few other symptoms but the fever hasn’t been high enough” to be the true influenza, she said.
    They may have a cough and body aches but their fever is only up to about 100, she noted.
    “That’s not high enough to be true influenza. And, they usually feel bad for a couple days,” she said.
    That not like true influenza, where temps will be much higher and the person affected will be down for a week.
    With an uncertainty when the peak will be reached, Paisley said she tells parents it’s never too late to get the flu shot.
    Of the six recent cases at school, Paisley said only one of the students had the shot.
    Rhonda Sargent, manager at the Chase County Clinic, said they still have plenty of the vaccine available. People can stop in during regular hours for the shot without an appointment, she said.
    Shannon Kuhlmann, R.N. who handles infection prevention at Chase County Community Hospital, said she’s hopeful the flu season peak is near, but she’s unsure.
    In the last week and  a half, she said they’ve been seeing a lot of influenza B cases, while influenza A, the more severe strain, was prevalent earlier.
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