Tennessee one of country’s worst states for flu, CDC says

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — This could be the country’s worst flu season in over a decade, and it’s only just beginning.

Right now, the CDC says the virus is circulating at an even higher rate in Tennessee than the rest of the country.

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The CDC’s map shows Tennessee as one of only three states shaded in purple, which means influenza-like illnesses are circulating at the highest rate.

“I felt sick for about five days,” Candace Neely of Memphis said.

Neely and her two children came down with the flu three weeks ago.

“It was horrible because I am pregnant. So, I really couldn’t take anything, but as far as my children, they bounced back like a charm,” she said.

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Her family is one of hundreds in the Mid-South who have been infected with the virus early this season.

“We know it is a bad year. We predicted it would be based on what we saw in other parts of the world and, sure enough, it has hit us early and has hit us hard,” Dr. Steve Threlkeld, an infectious disease specialist at Baptist Memorial Healthcare said.

According to the CDC map, the flu is currently spreading at the highest levels in Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina.

The map does not track confirmed influenza cases but instead monitors flu-like symptoms which can include fever, cough, or sore throat.

In Shelby County, the health department says the percent of hospital ER visits for influenza-like illness last week was 5.9 percent, which is four times higher than this time last year.

“I don’t think there’s a great reason why it actually started here first this year. What we are more worried about is how long it is going to last,” Dr. Threlkeld said.

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Dr. Threlkeld said the flu virtually disappeared for two years as people masked up, washed their hands, and took precautions during COVID.

Now, people have mostly abandoned those measures, which is playing a role in transmission.

“Unfortunately, flu vaccines are down again,” Dr. Threlkeld said. “They’re down probably six or so percent from pre-pandemic levels. So, we are a little unprepared for a virus that is going to be particularly bad this year.”

Dr. Threlkeld said, so far, the vaccine seems like a reasonable match for the strains of the flu that are circulating right now.

While it’s not perfect at preventing someone from getting the flu, he said it is excellent at preventing hospitalization and death.

The Shelby County Health Department is offering free flu vaccinations on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at all public health clinics.