As we enter flu season, hand-washing and hygiene are becoming even more important. In order to prevent illness, the CDC is warning us to wash our hands regularly. The stress of work and school is causing people to attend public, enclosed working spaces while sick, which only worsens the spread of illness.
This year, the effect of these bad habits has become more obvious. At least 1,300 people have died from the flu so far this season in the United States.
At a Louisiana Children’s Hospital in 2019, there have been more than 1,400 cases of the flu so far in contrast to 9 the same time last year. This represents a 1,385% increase.
The flu is becoming more powerful and widespread, and more drastic or fatal cases have been occurring – especially in the Southeastern US. Puerto Rico has seen the worst of this epidemic, with 11,000 cases so far on the island.
Doctors are shocked that the illness is spreading so fast, remarking that this rapid spread is something they have never seen before.
Some of these cases are the result of children not being vaccinated. If they are not immunized at a proper age, the likelihood of them catching the deadly sickness later in life increases dramatically.
This sickness wreaks the most havoc on children and the elderly, which is why doctors are urging their patients to get vaccinated as soon as they possibly can.
Getting vaccinated isn’t the only thing you can do to prevent the illness, doctors say. Washing your hands regularly with soap and warm water and staying home when you’re sick are other ways we can stop others from suffering the consequences of catching the flu.
Information from this article is from CNN News and the CDC.
