ATLANTA — It’s not even January yet and this flu season is already a bad one in Georgia.
Information provided to Channel 2 Action News by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Georgia has the second-most flu cases in the nation.
“We’re definitely starting to see a lot of cases in the last week; pretty much every day, we’re having at least five cases at this clinic alone,” said Dr. Saida Omarova, a physician at Piedmont Urgent Care in Norcross.
But why is Georgia’s flu season off to such a fast start?
TRENDING STORIES:
- Former Falcons safety Keion Carpenter dies at 39
- Suspect involved in at least 8 hit-and-runs shot, police say
- Vigilant Uber driver leads police to child sex trafficking victim
Omarova told Channel 2’s Justin Wilfon that there are likely several reasons.
“Usually around the holidays people are traveling a lot. With the weather change, it seems to just kind of set up that kind of perfect storm to kick in,” Omarova said.
The Georgia Department of Health reports that so far this season, 39 people have been hospitalized because of the flu.
People older than 65 and younger than 5 are most at risk.
Symptoms to watch for include a high fever, chills, a cough and exhaustion.
It’s not too late to get a flu shot. Omarova said the shots usually become effective within two weeks of receiving one.