Get a flu shot, stay home if sick and wash hands regularly
We are now in the midst of flu season, and anyone over the age of 6 months should get a flu shot - especially those whose chronic medical conditions put them at high-risk for flu-related complications.
You can further protect yourself by:
- Staying home from school or work if you are sick
- Washing your hands regularly with soap and warm water
- Avoiding contact with people who are ill
- Covering your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, upper sleeve or elbow
General flu recommendations have greater importance
These recommendations, which are current as of Feb. 26, have heightened importance now, as public health officials are monitoring travelers from China for a new virus that is causing concern because medical officials are still learning about its impact and how it spreads.
A Bay Area resident's chances of getting this new virus, the coronavirus known formally as COVID-19, are far less likely than getting the seasonal flu - and the symptoms can be identical: including fever, cough, or trouble breathing.
If you have those symptoms, medical officials want to know two other things:
- Have you traveled outside of the United States, especially mainland China
- Have you had close contact with someone who is ill and recently traveled outside the United States, especially mainland China?
If the answer is yes to either of those two questions, contact your medical provider immediately. See CDC guidelines on symptoms if you need more clarity.
Public Health Taking Action
Berkeley Public Health, along with public health workers around the region and nation, routinely track those with reported symptoms of certain contagious diseases, monitor people through the illness and often reach out to those who may have been in contact with the infectious person.
Those steps significantly lessen the spread of communicable diseases.
In Berkeley and around the Bay Area, public health workers have been working closely with health care providers to ensure that potential cases of coronavirus can be quickly identified. All travelers from China are being routed through one of 11 airports, where they are screened by public health workers from the CDC. Those showing symptoms are subject to mandatory quarantine.
With coronavirus situation evolving, seasonal flu remains a concern
The understanding of coronavirus is rapidly evolving. As of Feb. 26, there have been 80,239 cases of the coronavirus globally, and 2,700 were fatal, according to the World Health Organization. Of all global cases, 96.9% have been in China and 34 of the fatalities have been outside China. In the United States, there have been 14 coronavirus cases, not including 45 infected people the State Department flew back from China and a cruise ship in Japan, according to the CDC. None of the U.S. cases have been fatal. There have been no cases in Berkeley or Alameda County.
By contrast, CDC estimates that so far this season there have been at least at least 29 million flu illnesses in the United States alone, 280,000 hospitalizations and at least 16,000 deaths from flu.
"If you haven't traveled to mainland China or other areas with community spread of the COVID-19 or come into close contact with someone who is ill and traveled to those areas, the risk is low," said Dr. Lisa Hernandez, Berkeley's health officer. "Nonetheless, we are preparing for a potential case.
"For everyone else, by taking steps to protect yourself from the cold, flu and other viruses, you'll help strengthen public health for all."
For more information, see: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus
This message was updated to include the most recent information from the CDC, WHO and Department of Homeland Security as of Feb. 26, 2020.
