FLU-LIKE ILLNESSES ARE UP

The number of cases of flu-like illnesses reported last week in Southeast Missouri increased dramatically over the previous week, but health officials say the figure is still not unusual for the first week of November.

No confirmed cases of influenza have been reported in the area.

Locally, school nurses in Cape Girardeau and Jackson reported absenteeism due to sickness is running about normal for early November.

Public health officials have warned the 1993-94 influenza season may start earlier and be more severe than past years. They urged those most at risk to get flu shots in October instead of November.

Confirmed outbreaks of the Type A Beijing influenza strain occurred in August and September in southern Louisiana, prompting health officials to urge early immunizations this fall.

Since Oct. 20, 1,200 flu shots have been administered in Cape Girardeau County, compared to 1,004 last year. Flu shots are still available from local physicians or at the Cape Girardeau County Health Department.

Sue Tippen of the Missouri Dpartment of Health's Southeast Missouri regional office at Poplar Bluff said the number of flu-like cases reported in the 25-county district jumped from 133 during the reporting week of Oct. 18-25 to 680 for the week of Oct. 25-29, an increase of 547 cases. The number of gastro-intestinal sickness cases increased during the same period from 108 to 139.

The figures are contained in a weekly survey compiled by state and county health departments, based on reports from hospitals, schools, Head Start centers, day care centers, and selected physicians.

"It's fairly widespread throughout the region," said Tippen, referring to the increase in flu-like cases in the district. Tippen said the flu-like illness displays most of the classic symptoms of influenza, but has not been laboratory-confirmed as a strain of influenza. The symptoms include sore throat, aching, sneezing, coughing, and a fever.

"It's possible that some of the 680 cases of flu-like illness reported last week could be influenza, but unless cultures are taken and confirmed by a laboratory we list it as flu-like. At this time no case of influenza has been confirmed in our region."

Health officials say due to a cutback in funding this year there are only two laboratories where suspected flue cultures can be examined and confirmed. One is at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau and the other is in Texas County. "Of course physicians can always have suspected flu cultures tested at private laboratories," Tippen said.

The Cape Girardeau County Health Department said no cases of flu-like illness were reported during the past survey week, compared to nine the week before. The number of gastro-intestinal cases was down last week, to 14, compared to 37 the week before. Upper respiratory tract cases also declined in Cape County last week: seven, compared to 22 for the period Oct. 18-25. There were 13 cases of strep throat reported in the county last week, compared to 16 the previous week.

Bronchial infections seem to be the most common ailment in the county during the past two weeks. There were 32 cases of bronchitis reported last week, compared with 33 the week before.

The survey reported 11 cases of pneumonia, compared to 10 the previous week. The number of viral infections reported in the county last week dropped from 14 to 6.

Linda Goodman, school nurse for the Cape Girardeau public schools, said the absentee rate due to sickness for junior- and senior-high-school students is "running about normal for this time of the year." She said, "Most of it is headaches, upset stomachs. A lot of it is due to allergy problems."

Goodman said there has been no noticeable increase in the absentee rate at the elementary level.

That seems to be true for the Jackson School District, said school nurse Esther Grey. "Our attendance rate so far is around 96 percent in the junior and senior high schools. We are seeing some URI cases at the high school level and some GI tract illness in the elementary grades, but certainly nothing out of the ordinary for the first week of November. It's a mixture of viral infection and the common cold."