ATLANTA — Flu season is officially underway and Channel 2 Action News has learned Georgia is already topping the nation in cases.
The CDC takes in data from all over the country starting the first week in October all the way through May. They list the proportion of doctor’s visits where people show flu-like illness on a scale of 1 to 10.
A map from CDC shows Georgia at a level-three, in the minimal range, like the entire country. But the state tops the U.S. on the first flu report for the season.
Last year the flu killed 151 in Georgia, including four children.
“We saw a lot of patients coming into the hospital, we did see a lot of deaths associated with flu last year,” said infectious diseases Dr. Marshall Lyon.
The first flu deaths of the season have already been reported: an elderly person in North Carolina and a child in Florida.
The young and old are most at risk.
Doctors urge everyone to get their flu shot before the end of the month.
Flu season really takes off in November, leading up to Thanksgiving and usually peaks around late January to early February.
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“This area is a major travel hub, the airport is a major hub for international travel, so you could see an influx of patients from anywhere,” said Family Nurse Practitioner Nikole Flowers.
With the illness already starting in Georgia, the goal is to keep the CDC map from turning red, or at least slow it down.
The CDC says thanks to researchers in Atlanta, they’ve updated vaccines to better match the viruses expected this flu season.
Anyone over 6-months old can get the flu shot.
Cox Media Group
