From January 30 to February 5, Oklahoma health officials reported 118 confirmed cases of the flu in the state.

One death was recorded in that time period. There have been 24 deaths attributed to the flu statewide since September 1. The number of hospitalizations from September 1 to February 5  is 556. In Tulsa County, from September 1 to January 29, 169 people have been in the hospital with the flu.

Influenza-like illness is defined as having a temperature over 100 degrees with a cough and sore throat.

Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) warns that  the flu is “turning out to be a major threat to the nation’s health this year, particularly among America’s oldest and youngest populations.”

Weber cites recent Centers for Disease Control [CDC] reports that as many as seven million cases of the flu have been reported so far in the 2018-2019 flu season. The CDC says that as many as 84,000 people have been hospitalized as a result.

Americans are not sold on flu shots as an effective shield against getting sick.

The University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center (NORC) polled more than 1,200 participants in a survey conducted in November. They found that 41 percent of them had not gotten flu shots and had no intention of getting the vaccine anytime soon. Weber said nearly a quarter of respondents over the age of 60 said they had no plans to get vaccinated.

A news release issued by NORC noted that nearly two-thirds of those surveyed were unaware that the 2017-2018 flu season was among the worst on record. Some 900,000 people were hospitalized and 80,000 died after coming down with the flu. Most of the deaths were adults 65 and older and children.

“… many people are still not getting flu shots due to broader misconceptions about the value of receiving a flu shot and concerns about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines,” according to NORC’s Caitlin Oppenheimer.

The flu season got off to a slow start last fall, but the CDC now reports that outbreaks of the flu are at elevated levels across the country. The Science Daily website reported last week that “flu-like illness increased the odds of having a stroke by nearly 40 percent over the next 15 days.” The report said that the “increased risk remained up to one year.”