Flu, RSV and other respiratory illnesses are sending people to urgent care and emergency rooms in Tallahassee.
“I see probably four or five cases a day; my nurse practitioner, the same, and our other providers. We’re seeing a lot of it,” says Dr. Shamil Castro, a family practitioner with HCA Florida Capital Primary Care.
On the WFSU program "Speaking Of," Castro said Tallahassee-area hospitals are nearly maxed out with these patients.
“A lot of people are in the ICU because of superimposed pneumonia from flu. So you can get influenza, and then you can get pneumonia.”
Castro’s patients range in age “from birth to death.” She sees the impact of these illnesses on vulnerable groups, such as the elderly. “A lot of times we’ll see the kids get the grandparents sick.”
She says lots of handwashing will help avoid catching anything, along with being vaccinated, which also helps with herd immunity.
“I have a lot of patients who don’t have an immune system; someone undergoing chemotherapy … or a little baby that can’t get a vaccine until they’re 6 months old,” Castro says. “When we vaccinate everyone, we’re protecting these people who can’t get their vaccine or can’t mount an immune response.”
The program also hears about the potential threat of avian flu to humans and how the current outbreak in birds and poultry is impacting the supply chain.
Click Listen to hear the entire segment.
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