WRIC Richmond News and Weather - New Flu Strain Not Covered By Vaccine
Member Center:
"It's a nasty illness. It's three days of thinking you're dying and it's three days of hoping you're dying and if you're pretty healthy you get over it," says Dr. Kenneth Lucas, Medical Director.
Dr. Lucas tells 8News he's seeing a lot of patients coming into his clinic sick with the flu. That nasty disease he says is bringing everyone in from seniors to small children.
"It's across the board. We're seeing children with it and usually if we start to see the children the pediatricians are pretty overwhelmed with it."
According to the Center for Disease Control, Virginia is one of 11 states experiencing a wide outbreak of the flu right now.
If that isn't bad enough, they're also saying a new strain of the flu that's not covered by this year's vaccine is making people sick.
"But like I say there's multiple different strains of it and they do not make a flu vaccine that protects against all of it," says Dr. Lucas.
Dr. Lucas says this isn't the first time a flu shot has missed the mark, and it's not something people should panic about. Local and national experts say getting the flu shot is still you're best bet for staying healthy because most flu strains will match up well against it.
Besides things like washing your hands, Dr. Lucas says seeing a doctor early is the best advice if you start feeling those terrible aches.
Copyright 2008 by Young Broadcasting, Inc.
