TEXARKANA, Texas - The flu virus is still spiking across the United States. On the CDC's flu activity map, at least 41 states are shades of red which reflects high or very high activity, including Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. “The flu is still deadly, and so we want people to realize that. And when we say that it's usually the elderly population and the very young. So, we want to make everybody aware that the quicker you get in to see your provider within that first 48 hours, the better we can hopefully treat you,” explained Dr. Matt Young, Texarkana Emergency Center & Hospital CEO. Young says they're seeing a high volume of patients with flu-like symptoms, such as coughing, fever, sore throat, body aches or difficulty breathing. He says antiviral medications can't take away the illness completely, but it can help keep the flu from becoming severe or leading to complications such as pneumonia that may require hospitalization. “Many times, if you're confined in a small space and you've been exposed and you have the symptoms, sometimes the tests may not come back positive, but we can still also prescribe those antivirals if you have a high-risk exposure,” said Young. If you’re sick with the flu, doctors recommend staying home until you are symptom-free for at least 24 hours without medication. So far, the CDC estimates there have been at least 20 million illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations and 11,000 deaths from the flu this season. This includes 47 pediatric deaths, 16 of which were reported last week.
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Flu cases increase across the four states area
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