Greene County flu cases increased in 2017, officials say

Employees at the Greene County Combined Health District say the normal flu season usually starts in October, and is over by March. But not this year.

“I have four babies, all under 6 (years old), and they’re all sick,” Xenia resident Victoia McDaniel said Tuesday.

About 130 Greene County residents have been hospitalized for the flu since mid-December, health district officials said, noting the total in 2016 was 37.

“We probably have two dozen in the hospital right now,” Dr. Don Brannen of the Greene County Combine Health District.

Two strains of the flu are to blame for the jump in the number of cases this year, he said.

“We did have a peak two weeks ago, and we thought we were seeing the end of it,” Brannen said. “But we’re seeing a resurgence, and holding steady instead of going down, which is a concern to us.”

Washing hands is critical in preventing the flu because one can get it by touching, he said, adding that the warm winter may have contributed to jump in flu cases because a lot of people socialized more.

If you get sick, experts say, stay at home.