Apr 9, 2018 3 min read

After months of coughs, chills and body aches, Washington and Greene counties, along with the rest of Southwestern Pennsylvania, may be seeing the end of the flu season.

According to state Department of Health press secretary Nate Wardle, the number of flu cases has “dropped substantially” since the season’s peak in early February.

Wardle said the peak happened Feb. 3-9, with more than 14,000 cases, “the highest number seen in recent years.”

“The department is continuing to monitor flu cases in Pennsylvania, as flu season officially runs through the middle of May,” he said. “At this point, the flu is considered regional, meaning that cases are continued to be seen in at least two of the six regions of the state.”

Eli Rice, spokesperson for MedExpress, said in an email MedExpress Urgent Care saw a 21 percent decrease in flu-related visits across the nation, and a 14 percent drop in Pennsylvania, since the February peak.

“The 2017-2018 flu season has proven itself to be one of the most active flu seasons in recent memory, but the good news is that the peak of this year’s flu season may be behind us,” Rice wrote in the email.

Rice said even though Influenza A has been the “predominant virus” most of this season, the Centers for Disease Control recently reported a second wave of flu due to Influenza B viruses.

“Influenza B is typically less severe but can still be a serious health concern for children,” his email said.

Wardle confirmed that a “slight increase” of Influenza B hit between March 10 and 23, and said it was “common for late in the flu season.”

So although the worst may be over, people should still take precautions, according to Jane Trombetta, a registered nurse and vice president of quality for MedExpress, which operates a number of urgent care centers in Southwestern Pennsylvania, including in Washington, Waynesburg and Peters Township.

“We’re still not out of the woods yet, but we are trending downward,” she said. “This was a bad season. We peaked, as a nation, much higher than we did last year.”

From Oct. 1 to March 31, the state recorded 110,075 flu cases, with 215 flu-related deaths, six of whom were children. Allegheny County had 11,433 cases – the most in the state. Washington County was ranked number 17 in the state with 2,239 cases. Westmoreland had 3,220, Fayette had 1,304, and Greene had 269.

Part of the reason for the high numbers is that the effectiveness of the vaccine was just 36 percent this year, Trombetta said.

“January and February were really tough months,” she said. “We just saw a lot of people coming in with the influenza symptoms. This little bump we’re seeing at the end is not uncommon for the end of the season, so people should just keep up with their good practices.”

Trombetta said people should still get the flu vaccine if they haven’t yet, though it may be harder to find now that the numbers are decreasing.

“It’s never completely over,” she said. “You can get the flu in the summer because it’s still in the community.”

Wardle also encouraged people to wash their hands frequently and to be aware of influenza germs that could still be spread.

“Any actions that people can take to protect themselves from the flu and other illnesses will help them to be healthier, and decrease the chances of picking up an illness,” he said in an email.