NORTHFIELD -
Flu season is in full swing, and the number of confirmed cases this year has public health officials concerned.
Shore Medical Center explained that the number of confirmed flu cases is very high for this time of the year. Health officials say the past few years have not been considered very bad flu seasons, so this year, the numbers have spiked.
According to the Center for Disease Control, 41 states in the U.S. have confirmed "widespread" flu virus outbreaks, New Jersey being one of them.
Barbara Juzaitis, from Shore Medial, said, "If you're looking at New Jersey, there isn't one southern county that hasn't been hit in high levels right now." Public Health Officer from Atlantic County, Patricia Diamond, said, "Previous years we have not seen the numbers that we're seeing right now."
These high numbers are alarming. Health officials say the past few years have not been considered very bad flu seasons. Juzaitis added, "If you're looking at the information that has been published from C.D.C. right now, 29% of people who are being tested are positive for the flu."
Marisa DiFranco, a concerned mother in Northfield, was getting her daughter vaccinated Friday afternoon. She said, "It is scary. I do recommend to everyone to get out there and get a flu shot. It's something healthy and good for your children that you need to do."
Patricia Diamond explained that everyone over 6 months of age should get a yearly flu shot. She added, "This vaccine that has been developed is a good match for what we're seeing circulating in the community."
The vaccinations this year are working and officials encourage people to take advantage of the preventative medicine.
