he flu may be making a slow start in some states this brutally cold winter, but Bay State health officials say the bug isn’t being squashed, especially since the number of reported cases has more than doubled since 2007.
According to statistics provided by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 841 positive cases of flu were reported from 2007 to 2008, a sharp increase from the 325 reported cases from 2006 to 2007.
DPH spokesman John Jacob said a number of factors were responsible for the Bay State flu hike.
“People are not getting the vaccine they should or the particular vaccine available that year may not have been as effective in treating that particular strain,” Jacob said. “Some years, the influenza strain can be particularly potent, resulting in more people seeking treatment,” he said.
So far in 2009, widespread flu has only been reported in Virginia and New Jersey, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However CDC data shows the flu tends to ramp up in February. Fourteen states are reporting what CDC calls “regional activity,” meaning flu is making people sick, just not as many statewide as usual.