New Jersey flu cases among the highest in the country

If you know someone who's had the flu this year, it's probably a strain of influenza A and is nasty. I had a close relative who was just released from the hospital after nearly two weeks of suffering from this flu.

It did damage to their kidneys and required repeated temporary dialysis in the hospital. Influenza A can cause something called rhabdomyolysis, which is a serious clinical condition that also causes damage to the skeletal muscles.

Almost without warning my relative collapsed after getting out of the shower and was too weak to stand up. This person goes to the gym several days a week and is in relatively good shape. It's frightening what this flu can do and what it can lead to.

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Not everyone with this strain of flu has these serious complications, but you should do everything you can to stay healthy and avoid getting it this year.

New Jersey is listed as having a particularly high number of flu cases this year. The map linked here shows the activity level by state, and we are near the top of the list with only a handful of states, including most of New England being higher as of last week.

The CDC says there have been 29 million flu cases nationwide so far this season, 370,000 hospitalizations, and 16,000 deaths, including 68 children. If you have had the flu vaccine this year, you have a better chance of avoiding hospitalization, but not entirely.

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Each year the flu vaccine efficacy rate is between 19% and 60% in preventing hospitalization. You may still get it but your chances of ending up in the hospital are reduced, and not by a whole lot.

They predict that this year's flu vaccine efficacy rate to be about 37%. Again, that is in preventing a hospital stay from the flu. Besides getting the flu shot, experts recommend practicing good hygiene, avoiding crowded spaces, getting plenty of sleep, and generally maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This is reportedly the worst flu season in 15 years, and you don't want to get this one.