There are signs that the flu season may be tapering off as the number of cases across the United States, and in South Dakota, are decreasing. The number of states reporting high patient traffic for the flu has dropped from 43 to 39.
Flu reports from the South Dakota Department of Health (DOH) show South Dakota continues to have widespread cases of influenza, however the number of hospitalizations and cases reported has decreased. During the 2017-2018 flu season, DOH reports show that 29 South Dakotans died from flu-related illness, while 548 people have been hospitalized.
The good news for needle-fearing people: The Centers for Disease Control recently voted to bring back FluMist, a nasal spray version of the flu vaccine, for the 2018-2019 flu season. FluMist hasn’t been recommended for the last few years because experts said it was not as effective at preventing the A H1N1 strain of the flu virus as the flu shot.
