How to be on guard in case of a flu disaster in Oklahoma

A: No cases of the flu have been confirmed in Oklahoma this season. In recent years, the flu season in Oklahoma has peaked in February or March.

Q: What causes the flu?

A: Influenza is caused by a virus that primarily affects the nose, throat, bronchial airways and lungs. Influenza viruses are divided into two types, influenza type A and B. Both influenza types typically circulate in the United States during late fall and winter. Each type of influenza virus has different strains, which tend to change from one year to the next.

Q: What’s a pandemic?

A: Pandemic influenza is a widespread outbreak of disease that would affect a large number of people worldwide caused by a new subtype of an influenza A strain. Every year, influenza A viruses undergo small seasonal changes called genetic drifts. Whenever an influenza A virus undergoes a major change called genetic shift, a new influenza A virus subtype is created. This major change may cause a pandemic of influenza.

Q: Why is a pandemic a problem?

A: A new influenza A virus subtype may cause more severe illness than the influenza A viruses that normally circulate on a seasonal basis. Most people will have little or no natural resistance to the new influenza A virus. No one knows exactly when or if a pandemic of influenza will occur.

Q: What are potential complications?

A: In addition to getting a flu vaccination, those 65 and older and those with chronic health conditions should ask their doctor if they should be vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia, which is a common and potentially serious complication of the flu. Unlike the influenza vaccine, the pneumococcal vaccine does not need to be given every year. This vaccine is available at physicians’ offices and county health departments.

Source: State Health Department