Two more flu-related deaths were reported last week to the Arkansas Department of Health, bringing the total deaths from this year's flu season to eight.
A total of 7,000 positive flu tests had been reported to the department as of last week, up from 4,600 a week earlier.
Flu cases were reported in all but five counties, with the largest number reported in Pulaski, Benton, Jefferson, Faulkner, Lonoke, Craighead, Saline, Washington, White, Garland, Union and Sebastian counties. Those counties are among Arkansas' 20 most populous.
"The big news is we're seeing an early season," said Gary Wheeler, the department's chief medical officer. "We're seeing the number of cases rising very quickly this year, probably about eight to 10 weeks earlier than we usually see the first big spikes in cases."
In a weekly report covering activity through Dec. 16, the department upgraded the intensity level, based on the percentage of doctor's visits involving patients with flu-like symptoms, from "moderate" to "high."
During the week, 5.9 percent of patients seeing a doctor, and 3.8 percent of those who went to a hospital emergency room, reported flu-like symptoms, compared with 2.5 percent of patients visiting a doctor's office or emergency room a week earlier.
All the deaths so far have been of people age 65 or older, according to the report.
No one knows why the flu season started earlier than usual this year, and the early start doesn't necessarily mean it will be worse, Wheeler said.
Although the flu vaccine that was produced this year is a close match for the strains that have been reported, U.S. and international public health officials reported in the New England Journal of Medicine last month that it had been only 10 percent effective in Australia, which has an earlier flu season than countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
"That's certainly one of the things that's got a lot of us concerned," Wheeler said.
The effectiveness of the vaccine can be affected by the number of people who are immunized and the prevalence of the illness, he said.
"If there's lots and lots of cases of flu out there, you're more likely to get infected, even though you've been vaccinated," he said.
It's not too late to get the shot, he added. The vaccine usually takes effect within about two weeks, and the flu will likely continue spreading for at least 10 more weeks.
In addition to getting the vaccine, people can protect themselves by washing their hands frequently, getting enough sleep and eating well, he said.
"If you have had a flu vaccine but you're drinking heavily and not sleeping, you may not be as well protected as if you're getting your eight hours' sleep and kind of taking it easy at the beer tap," he said.
Metro on 12/23/2017