{"id":3261,"date":"2025-12-26T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T17:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/?p=3261"},"modified":"2025-12-26T05:46:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T10:46:50","slug":"flu-bad-news-families-in-ohio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/flu-bad-news-families-in-ohio\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad news for families in Ohio\u2014the flu is accelerating before Christmas, and experts explain how we can prevent it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Winter is a time when illnesses, especially viral ones, tend to spread more rapidly. Flu cases are on the rise in Northeast Ohio as a new variant spreads. Health officials are urging people to get vaccinated as the H3N2 subtype causes a surge in hospitalizations.<\/a> In fact, a pediatric clinic in Westlake reported a large number of flu cases, with patients exhibiting symptoms such as cough, congestion, and fever.<\/p>\n

“It’s not a superflu in the sense that it’s making more people sick… It’s a superflu simply because it’s spreading more”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“It’s an acute and immediate onset of feeling terrible, high fever, maybe a runny nose, and some coughing,” explained Dr. Jason Newland, chief of Infectious Diseases at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Especially during the holiday season, it’s a time when people have more family gatherings, get-togethers with friends, parties, or office lunches<\/a>\u2014times when there are large numbers of people in enclosed spaces, something that experts say favors the spread of viruses. “It’s not a superflu in the sense that it’s making more people sick,” said Dr. Newland. In this sense, the expert stated, “It’s a superflu simply because it’s spreading more.”<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that flu cases are rising in central Ohio<\/h2>\n

Doctors and scientists are urging people to get vaccinated, especially those in vulnerable groups. \u201cIt\u2019s not too late to get a flu shot. It\u2019s incredibly safe and very effective. You\u2019ll be at greater risk if you don\u2019t get vaccinated,\u201d said Dr. Robert Hughes, who works in the emergency room at UH Cleveland Medical Center. It\u2019s important to note that flu cases are rising in central Ohio just as families prepare for the holidays.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no indication that it\u2019s more severe than other flu strains<\/h2>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s also something called subtype K, which is the most severe flu. It\u2019s an H3N2 variant. It has a much higher rate of local infection than the increase we\u2019re seeing with other subtypes. That contributes to greater illness severity,\u201d Hughes explained.<\/a> While there\u2019s no indication that it\u2019s more severe than other flu strains, health experts say that the timing of its emergence and rapid spread are what\u2019s concerning.<\/p>\n

“… Some people aren’t feeling as well as they would with milder strains, which has led to hospital visits”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While the ‘super flu’ emerged after the development of this year’s flu vaccine, Dr. Newland stated that the vaccine continues to be effective and is crucial in slowing the spread. “It’s probably also influenced by the fact that some people aren’t feeling as well as they would with milder strains, which has led to hospital visits,” Dr. Hughes indicated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have loved ones who need protection,\u201d stated Dr. Jason Newland, adding, \u201cWe can protect them by vaccinating them, but also by vaccinating ourselves.\u201d This means it is very important to be vigilant against any possible infection within one’s own family, as it could more severely affect an elderly person, young children, or relatives with underlying health conditions.<\/p>\n

And for those who do get sick, Hughes recommends staying hydrated, washing hands frequently, getting enough sleep, and minimizing spread among family members. Dr. Newland explained that while the nickname might sound alarming, the symptoms of the “super flu” are very similar to those we’re used to. Hughes also said that flu cases are on the rise in northeastern Ohio due to a lack of vaccinations<\/a> and the circulation of a new variant. Specifically, the H3N2 variant K subtype is causing particular concern among doctors. In any case, the main recommendation is to stay safe and, if any symptoms appear, take the measures suggested by the state and medical authorities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winter is a time when illnesses, especially viral ones, tend to spread more rapidly. Flu cases are on the rise in Northeast Ohio as a new variant spreads. Health officials are urging people to get vaccinated as the H3N2 subtype causes a surge in hospitalizations. In fact, a pediatric clinic in Westlake reported a large […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3269,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"subtitle":"","format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"hide","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"m\/d\/Y H:i","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"0","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"no-crop","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-715"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3261"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3274,"href":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3261\/revisions\/3274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eladelantado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}