Wednesday, January 20, 1999
Flu arrives late in Tristate; only 2 confirmed cases in Ohio
BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The first few confirmed cases of influenza have finally hit the Tristate area — a signal that this winter's flu season may be especially mild.
Doctors from Dayton, Ky., to Milford are reporting a typical seasonal surge of winter miseries — colds, sinus infections, bronchitis, plus assorted upper respiratory problems.
But until this week, very few cases of true influenza.
“We've just started to see flu cases. I admitted my first case to the hospital last week,” said Dr. Jeff Heck, director of the Franciscan-University of Cincinnati Family Practice Center.
That's unusual for the third week of January.
“We are nearing what would normally be considered the peak of flu season. But so far we only have two confirmed cases statewide (one in Cincinnati, one in Akron) and two more suspected cases (in Dayton),” said Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman Jane Beathard.
Officials report the same story at the regional and national level. Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana are among 38 states with “sporadic” reports of flulike illness.
Eleven states reported “regional” flu activity, with none reporting “widespread” flu activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Flu season normally runs from November into April. By late January, state officials normally see several hundred to a few thousand reported cases.
A year ago, Ohio had 360 reported cases by the end of January. Through January 1997, the state had seen 2,532 cases. Through January 1996, there were 3,143 cases.
“We are either in an extremely light flu season or an extremely delayed flu season,” Ms. Beathard said.
While light on influenza, doctors report staying plenty busy treating coughs and aches from a soup of other illnesses making the rounds.
“We've been getting a call to our office about once a minute for the past two weeks,” Dr. Heck said.
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