BALTIMORE — It's going around: At hospital systems in Baltimore, doctors are fighting back against a flurry of flu and illnesses like it.
"We've been seeing a lot of very rapid spread," said Dr. Megan Cobb, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at University of Maryland Golisano Children's Hospital, and an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "This is a highly contagious flu strain that is causing a lot of sudden development of very high fevers, sometimes as high as 105, even 106."
"They do respond to Tylenol and Motrin, but can be very challenging to control for families. A lot of GI symptoms, so vomiting, diarrhea, leading to dehydration, and children just otherwise feeling quite miserable and parents showing up accordingly because they're concerned," Cobb added.
It’s not just you: flu & flu-like activity ‘very high’ in Maryland, per CDC
Dr. Cobb works in pediatric emergency medicine at the University of Maryland Golisano Children's Hospital and called in from the downtown campus. Cobb tells us this strain is especially affecting young children and the elderly, and only expects more after the holidays.
"You have one family member who shows up that maybe has very mild symptoms, and unfortunately, it's spreading to the family, and so we're seeing within 1 to 2 days of family get-togethers, people are showing up with multiple children in the family testing positive for flu," Cobb said.
The CDC says influenza-like illnesses are at a "very high" activity level in Maryland, along with several other states on the east coast.
According to the state, over 1,200 people have been hospitalized since the end of September - fatal for 7 Marylanders.
Dr. Michelle Taylor, commissioner of health for the Baltimore City Health Department, explained they track flu in the city in three ways: emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and outbreaks of influenza-like viruses.
Dr. Taylor said right now, 10% of emergency department visits in the city are for influenza-like illnesses. Last year, it was just 3%.
"The age group that's leading the way on those visits are kids under 10, so we know that a lot of our kids are falling ill with respiratory viruses," Taylor told WMAR-2 News.
There's also been a slight decrease in city residents getting the flu shot, which Taylor says it's not too late to get.
"What I like to remind people is, you know what to do, just make sure that you're doing that. And among those things is, washing your hands, getting vaccinated, and protecting the people that you love the most," Taylor said.
The Baltimore City Health Dept. offers the shot at the Eastern Health Clinic, which is at 1200 E Fayette St. You can also call 311 for other providers.
Cobb, meantime, says symptoms to watch out for in your child include trouble breathing, rapid breathing for no reason, not having as many wet diapers or urine as normal, or not being able to eat or drink due to vomiting or tiredness.
