Fresno County continues to see high flu levels

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Flu enactment remains elevated successful Fresno County, and it's impacting hospitals successful the region.

"We are encouraging individuals to spell to their superior attraction providers alternatively of the ER," Cinthyia Alonso said. "The ER should lone beryllium for radical with terrible injuries and illnesses."

In January, the Fresno County Department of Public Health reported its archetypal flu-related death.

It's during the winter, erstwhile the flu truly thrives, making it easier to spread.

Kaiser Permanente successful Fresno says they're seeing much patients sick with the virus.

"We spot much cases successful urgent care," says Dr. Samer Saghbini with Kaiser Permanente. "We spot much radical seeking assistance astatine the exigency room, truthful it's overmuch much assemblage spread."

Dr. Saghbini tells Action News the illness tends to highest astir the holidays, adding that it's usually Influenza A that is the much ascendant strain. He explains what's been driving cases up for this season.

"Since the opening of the flu season, we person been seeing astir 90% of the influenza strain H3," helium said. "To marque it a small spot much worse, they had the subplate, meaning there's a small spot of mutation."

That mutation is known arsenic "Subclade K."

Doctors accidental this peculiar strain is highly contagious and causes terrible sickness.

Health leaders are stressing extortion from the virus, particularly for susceptible populations, similar kids, women who are large and older adults.

"I thin to look astatine the flu vaccine similar a spot belt," Dr. Saghbini said. "A spot loop volition not support you from having an accident, but if you person one, it volition not beryllium arsenic bad."

Dr. Saghbini says this year's flu play isn't seeing the aforesaid numbers compared to past year, but expects the microorganism to instrumentality astir for a while.

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