Flu Hits Park County

2018 is being described as a bad year for the flu around the country.
Many strains of Influenza are active, according to Park County Public Health Nursing Supervisor Bill Crampton. He says that while the illness isn’t affecting as many people in Park County as it is in other parts of the country, a lot of people are experiencing flu like symptoms.

Crampton says that the three symptoms that would categorize an influenza-like illness are fever of 100 degrees or more, cough, and sore throat, and a person having two out of those three symptoms would be considered as having that illness. He adds that because a lot of people don’t go to the doctor, there isn’t an accurate way to track the true numbers of people who are ill.
Crampton points out that taking basic precautions like drinking a lot of water and getting good rest will help, especially if you’ve received a flu shot. He says that flu shots are available at any pharmacy in town, or at the Public Health offices in Cody or Powell, where they still have a limited number of doses.
The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first preventative measure, saying that anyone above the age of 6 months should get vaccinated. High risk demographics, including young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes and lung disease and people 65 years and older, should seriously consider the flu vaccine each year.