By THOM LEAVY, Staff Writer | Updated Yesterday
WASHINGTON TWP. – Many families were stricken by two types of the flu this season and officials are looking into expanding the public vaccination program.
The two strains of influenza are not typically treated by a single shot. The Township Committee, however, is considering reevaluating the way vaccines are administered.
"The flu season this year has really been a tough one," said Committeeman Tracy Tobin.
Tobin said he was under the impression that there was one kind of flu and not at least three, including influenza A, or H1N1, Influenza B and Influenza C.
Tobin and his family, like many, were subject to Influenza A, the common variety, earlier in the winter, as well as the Influenza B strain, which came later.
"It certainly explains why our family had the flu for eight weeks. We gave each other both," Tobin said.
The state’s most recent influenza activity report put the week of April 12 on high alert in all regions. To date, the 2013-2014 season has had 19 outbreaks in long term care facilities, 11 of which were in the last three weeks, with the highest density of outbreaks in the northwest region of the state, according to Dawn Thomas, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health.
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Area hospitals have been busy with the epidemic as well.
At Hackettstown Regional Medical Center, Robin Puma, an occupational health nurse, said that last year the facility saw a lot of late cases of the flu, and this year it was even worse.
"If you look at the demographics for flu surveillance in New Jersey, it's at a high," Puma said.
Influenza cases are tracked on the state Department of Health website, with weekly installments of influenza activity.
"We've had a lot of employees here catching the B strain," said Puma of her hospital staff.
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