Is it “Just the Flu,” or a Sign of HIV?

If you’ve come down with symptoms of the flu lately, and you’re also in a high-risk group for HIV infection, do yourself a favor and get tested.

New Strain of Norovirus - The Winter Vomiting Bug - On the Rise

Officials say it's active locally, but no reports of widespread cases have been made in Cuyahoga County.

Although the flu is on everyone’s minds this season, the winter vomiting bug, or the norovirus, is making its rounds — though it's not known how many cases have been contracted locally. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the norovirus causes about 70,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths each year, mostly in young children and the elderly. Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook Some of the virus' common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pains. The CDC points out that the norovirus is often referred to as the stomach flu, but it is unrelated to influenza. In fact, the flu rarely involves intestinal symptoms. "Really everything from the chest down is something like the norovirus," …

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2013 Flu Season: Symptoms Continue for Many

The flu is holding steady across the county and state.

The flu is still going strong in Cuyahoga County, with numbers much higher than last year.  The Cuyahoga County Board of Health provides weekly influenza reports on its website. According to the most recent report, which ended Jan. 19, flu-related hospitalizations declined again—from about 130 to 43—but emergency department visits for flu-like symptoms held steady. And those numbers are just provisional and can change in future reports. Last week, it looked like hospitalizations were on the decline, but numbers were back up in this week’s report. One thing is for sure—this season is much worse than last. About 111 more patients visited emergency departments for flu-like symptoms and fevers during this week in 2013 than the same time period…

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Flu Season Still Going Strong Across Ohio

There have been more than 2,500 flu-related hospitalizations across the state so far this season.

This has already been an intense season for the flu in Ohio and across the country.  Cuyahoga County provides weekly influenza reports on its website. As of Jan. 18, the most recent report—which ended on Jan. 5—showed a lot of flu activity in the area. This report was posted last week, so click here for more details. The Ohio Department of Health’s website has some more recent information, and some of the figures are staggering. There have already been more than 2,500 flu-related hospitalizations across the state as of Jan. 12. Compare that to 175 last year, and 86 the year before for the same time period. The department notes that there has been a “dramatic and early increase” this season, and includes a chart that shows just that.  If …

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Flu Still Widespread in Cuyahoga County

The illness has been reaching high levels across the state and country.

Ohio is in the midst of an “unusually” active influenza season, the Ohio Department of Health reports.  The Cuyahoga County Board of Health tracks influenza activity by the week. According to the most recent report, which ended on Jan. 5, flu activity in the county is still “widespread,” but the figures look a bit better than the last week of 2013. Flu-related hospitalizations were down a bit after a sharp increase the week ending Dec. 28, 2012. The latest figues show 59 flu-related hospitalizations the week ending Jan. 5; the week of Dec. 28, there were 134, and the week before, there were 73.  About 4 percent of all emergency department visits were for fever or flu symptoms, down from 4.9 percent the week before.  According to the …

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Flu Season Picking Up in Cuyahoga County

The number of influenza-related cases has been on the rise in recent weeks.

Make sure you have your tissues and ginger ale ready—flu season is picking up in Cuyahoga County.  The Cuyahoga County Board of Health tracks influenza activity by the week. According to the most recent report, which ended on Dec. 22, there was “widespread” flu activity in the county. About 5 percent of all emergency department visits were for flu-related symptoms during that time, and throughout December, there were about 24 to 34 flu-related hospitalizations each week.  Google.org’s flu trends for Cleveland show numbers increasing rapidly in recent weeks and reaching “intense” levels.  The county’s figures show that complaints for symptoms of the flu—like congestion, coughing and vomiting—are all slightly higher than they were at this …

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