News editor Gideon Mallinson and opinions editor Colby Coker collaborated on this story.
As sickness sweeps the nation this season, many Oklahomans are forced to drop their regular activities to endure the trial that is influenza. For students, catching the flu is especially problematic as homework waits for no one, and even a few days of forced downtime can spell disaster.
The CDC reported influenza cases are at a record high in the past 15 years. Nationwide, they estimate a 31.6 percent positivity rate and approximately 13,000 deaths. Oklahoma holds a 38.5 percent positivity rate and accounts for a total of 36 flu-related deaths.
At Oklahoma Christian University, students are suffering the implications of the virus as it disrupts their day to day commitments.
“I missed a day of class and my class the next morning, which has made me perpetually never ahead,” Therron Kidd, an Electrical Engineering student who caught the flu two weeks ago, said. “I used to be ahead in quite a few classes, and now I am perpetually catching up. Not exactly behind, but catching up.”
His experience with the flu is still lingering two weeks later, affecting his studies for the worse. Kidd is not the only student set back by sickness. He noted that several of his friends had similar experiences.
From entire school closures to hundreds of hospitalizations across the OKC metropolitan area, the flu spared no expense for the Sooner State.
Even though cases have soared across the nation, one looming question begs an attempt at an answer: of all places, why did Oklahoma become a national epicenter for the flu?
The answer is not easy; the cause of such an event may be due to multiple factors and it is not entirely possible to fully understand them all.
However, factors ranging from demographics to seasonal weather changes may have contributed to the ravenous spread of flu across populous areas across the state, particularly Oklahoma City and surrounding municipalities.
First, one must understand how the flu virus operates, its nature and its preferences. According to the CDC, the flu is a seasonal respiratory virus, which means the virus operates best when certain environmental criteria are met: specifically in fluctuations of temperature.
In a study from the NIH database, researchers concluded that “high ambient temperature and a drop in the temperature and their interaction increase the risk of infection. Therefore, the highest risk of infection is attributable to a steep fall in temperature in a relatively warm environment.”
Over the past few weeks, Oklahoma experienced temperature fluctuations with colder temperatures in the morning, warm temperatures around noon, and into the afternoon before temperatures dropped again to cold degrees in the evening and into the night.
With such a wide range of temperatures, it is not hard to theorize that weather differences may have contributed to a high incidence of influenza infections in Oklahoma City and other dense areas in the state.
Arguably, the most important factor would be the target populations of influenza. While infection rates are responsible for the breadth of the virus, the incidence of disease states contributes to the severity of the flu’s rampage.
The CDC states individuals who are “65 years and older are at higher risk of developing serious flu complications compared with young, healthy adults.”
Adults aged 65 years and older make up 14.8 percent of the population in Oklahoma County, the largest in the state.
With that data in mind, it is no surprise when the Oklahoma State Department of Health reports 43.7 percent flu percent positivity in Oklahoma County, accompanied by the highest percentage of hospitalizations by HHS region.
Only medication and time will relieve the effects of this seasonal illness, as thousands of Oklahomans strive to break free from influenza’s grip.
Click here to read CDC guidelines for preventing infection.
0
0
Be First to Comment