Malibu Hit Harder Than Usual With This Year’s Flu

This year’s flu strain, H3N2, a more virulent flu strain than usual, has already invaded Malibu. Local doctors’ offices, pharmacies and public schools are seeing the effects, and the peak of the influenza season may not even be here yet—the number of flu cases usually peaks in February and tapers off through May.

Hospitals in LA report clogged emergency rooms due to the number of flu patients, according to the LA Times, with some area pharmacies experiencing shortages of over-the-counter and prescription flu remedies. The number of Californians younger than 65 who have died from the flu has jumped to 42, compared with nine at the same time last year, state officials said last Friday.

Anne Ernst, school nurse at Malibu High School, wrote in an email to The Malibu Times, “Many, many students and staff have flu symptoms and often they are sick for one to two weeks. More students seem to be missing school due to these viruses and complications, and the length of time they are out seems to be longer.”

“The most common symptoms of the flu are fever, cough, muscle aches, and sometimes nausea and vomiting,” Ernst wrote.  

She also offered some advice to parents.

“If the student has a fever or productive cough, they should stay home,” Ernst said. “It is important to treat fevers and hydrate with fluids. If a fever persists more than two to three days, the MD should be notified. People sometimes get secondary infections, like ear infections and bronchitis, and require antibiotics.”

A pharmacist at Dume Plaza Pharmacy said in a phone interview that Malibu’s demand for the flu vaccine has been so high that they ran out last week and won’t be getting any more in. However, they do still have Tamiflu in stock—unlike some California pharmacies, which have run out. Doctors often prescribe the drug to help people get over the flu faster, or to prevent development of symptoms once exposed to the virus. 

“A lot more people are coming in with the flu,” the pharmacist said, “and everywhere I go, that’s what other pharmacies and doctors’ offices are saying.”

The front office at UCLA Health in Malibu said flu cases are up this year over last: “A lot of patients are requesting appointments for flu shots, and we’ve seen a lot of patients with cases of the flu—definitely more than last year.”

Dr. Lucy Larson, the Student Health Center medical director at Pepperdine, also confirmed that she is seeing more cases of the flu come in.

“Influenza is widespread,” said LA County public health department director Dr. Barbara Ferrer in a news conference this week. “There’s almost no area in the county that’s seen no influenza activity at this point.” Officials say visits to LA County emergency rooms for influenza symptoms are more than twice as high as they were at the same time last year.

Experts say it’s not too late to get the flu shot, and that it takes about two weeks for the shot to take effect. They point out that even though the flu shot may be only 30 percent effective this year, it can still reduce the severity of symptoms for people who get the flu. 

The latest weekly map put out by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) shows the flu is already “widespread” across every part of the U.S. mainland. 

School nurse Ernst has a “Flu guide for parents” information sheet from the CDC that she hands out to parents of MHS students who need it. It emphasizes the importance of getting the flu vaccine for children six months and older, using tissues, staying away from sick people, frequent hand washing with soap, avoiding touching your own eyes, nose and mouth, and wiping household surfaces clean with a disinfectant.

The advice emphasizes keeping any sick child home from school. A visit to the doctor is warranted if the symptoms become severe, like trouble breathing, persistent vomiting, bluish skin, getting dehydrated, being extremely irritable, not wanting to wake up or interact, or the return of fever or cough.

A child can return to school 24 hours after the fever is gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine like aspirin. A fever is defined as 100°F (37.8°C) or higher.

For those wanting a flu shot and don’t have insurance or a local doctor/pharmacy, LA County Public Health offers low-cost flu vaccines for Malibu residents at the Simms/Mann Center, 2509 Pico Boulevard, Room 325, Santa Monica 90405. 310.998.3203