Central Florida Seeing Spike In Flu Activity

Central Florida is seeing a spike in flu cases. Florida Hospital’s urgent care Centra Care locations saw 1,200 cases last week.

Centra Care Medical Director Tim Hendrix said he’s surprised by the number of cases.

“We’ve far blown beyond the previous record in terms of the number of people coming in with influenza at Centra Care, just from week to week we doubled just in the last week which is really unusual to see that many people coming in with the flu, but it’s a busy season,” said Hendrix.

Centra Care has been tracking its flu cases since 2007. Hendrix recommends an antiviral like Tamiflu taken within 48 hours of the first flu-like symptoms.

The Florida Department of Health in Orange County is also reporting an increase in flu cases. Health officials urge people to get a flu shot if they haven’t already —it’s not too late. The DOH said the strain is changing rapidly – making this year’s flu season unusual.

Staying home from work or school to prevent spreading the flu is recommended.

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