Is the flu going around Huntsville right now? (home, wedding)

[DCguy03]

I'll be making the trip down to Huntsville a few weekends from now for a friend's wedding, and when you take a look at the flu trends, the state of Alabama is red right now (orange = low rate of flu cases; red = high rate of flu cases).

Have you all noticed the flu going around in Huntsville specifically?


source: (Flu tracker on battlethebug.com)

[skinem]

I have a cousin that's a doc in Hunstville--GP, and my wife works in a large doc office in a neighboring county--they all report that it is.

They say, it never really stopped going around this summer, unlike most years.

[zenjenn]

Cold or flu, I dunno, but I've been sick twice in the last six weeks.

If that map is accurate, does that mean Alabama's flu season would end early, or does it just mean that Alabama's flu season will be longer?

[DCguy03]

Thanks for the details on Huntsville -- I'll be sure to get extra sleep and take my vitamins before/during the trip!

Originally Posted by zenjenn

If that map is accurate, does that mean Alabama's flu season would end early, or does it just mean that Alabama's flu season will be longer?

The map is from BattletheBug.com which gets its data from Google Flu Trends. It's interesting to see the "live" version on that site, b/c right now you can see how the whole south-eastern U.S. is where the highest concentration of flu cases are.

So that map doesn't predict how early/late the "flu season" will last -- its purpose is more to show which areas of the country currently have a high/low rate of flu cases.

[Charles]

Where and when is the wedding? I could use a free meal. Put me at table 3 for the reception.

[DCguy03]

Are you the guy from Wedding Crashers?

[friday13]

Originally Posted by DCguy03

Are you the guy from Wedding Crashers?

No, the other one, his friend

[Elizabeth_G]

Lol @ Charles...(as usual).
I was sick this week, now hubby is sick in bed. Ugh! I think ours is more virus related possibly? No fever, or very low grade if I had one. Just felt bad for 2 days, headache, sniffles, etc.

[skinem]

I'm told if it's swine flu, there will be a pretty high fever within 24 hours of first noticing symptoms.
The local media has been reporting slightly higher than normal absentee rates in area schools--some worse than others.
Some people are reportedly keeping their children home in fear of them getting the flu. I wonder if they are planning on keeping them home all year and not letting them out of the house. This thing isn't going to be a short week or two deal...

[ionlife]

I wish we didn't have the silly 5 parental excuses only rule for absences... with swine flu here... why do we need doctor notes to document what we know or when we want to keep them home to relax or build their immunity?