The
Tennessee Department of Health has been advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that reports of influenza are increasing across the country. TDH officials are asking all Tennesseans who have not yet had their annual flu vaccine to do so immediately, helping to protect themselves and to prevent the spread of the illness to others. CDC and TDH also urge persons with flu-like illnesses who are at risk of severe illness with influenza due to some health conditions to seek care promptly to determine if treatment with influenza antiviral medications are needed. These health conditions include:
- children aged younger than 2 years;
- adults aged 65 years and older;
- persons with chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension alone), renal, hepatic, hematological (including sickle cell disease), metabolic (including diabetes mellitus) or neurologic and neurodevelopment conditions (including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerve and muscle such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy [seizure disorders], stroke, intellectual disability [mental retardation], moderate to severe developmental delay, muscular dystrophy or spinal cord injury);
- persons with immunosuppression, including that caused by medications or by HIV infection;
- women who are pregnant or postpartum (within two weeks after delivery);
- persons aged younger than 19 years who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy;
- American Indians/Alaska Natives;
- persons who are morbidly obese (i.e., body-mass index is equal to or greater than 40); and
- Residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities.
The CDC estimates there were approximately 19 million influenza-associated visits to clinics and doctors’ offices in the 2014-2015 flu season and 970,000 hospitalizations.
