Complications popping up from flu this season putting all at risk

CINCINNATI (WKRC) — Health officials are warning of serious complications from this year’s flu virus, which has been classified as a “high severity” flu season by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Healthcare providers are encountering complications they haven’t seen in years.

Dr. Felicia Scaggs Huang of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center said:

“This year, we’ve been seeing a rare complication called acute necrotizing encephalitis.”

Acute necrotizing encephalitis (ANE) is a severe brain inflammation that can lead to permanent damage. Dr. Scaggs Huang explained what this could do to a person’s health.

“We do know that the flu can activate your immune system and sometimes that seems to focus on the brain.”

In addition to brain complications, the flu is impacting the lungs, leading to co-infections in adults. Dr. Stephen Blatt, an infectious disease specialist at Ohio’s TriHealth, said:

“Your entire lungs can get inflamed or irritated, and you can see what we call infiltrates on chest x-rays or CT scans that show inflamed lungs. Sometimes even the lymph nodes will get swollen. Sometimes patients will get a bacterial pneumonia on top of their flu virus, and that can be really severe and frequently land older people in the hospital.”

This year’s flu is also leaving people with a severe lingering cough, according to Dr. Scott Woods, a family medicine specialist at TriHealth.

“People are contagious with the flu and most any other virus for about five days, but symptoms will last significantly longer, particularly if you have a lot of bronchitis-type symptoms. Hard-barking cough, that bronchitis cough can last anywhere from two to four weeks very commonly,” said Dr. Woods.

Flu season can last through March, and the flu vaccine is still suggested as a way to lower the odds of these complications, especially for those at high risk.