Influenza Spreads Across The State

By Dennis Lambert
Published: Thursday, January 23, 2014 - 2:53pm

Influenza is now widespread in Arizona, according to state health officials.  Dr. Cara Christ of the Department of Health Services said more than 800 cases were confirmed in the past week, bringing the overall number to more than 2,40 and putting the state in line with most others around the country.

“We’ve just had a lot of people returning from travel over the holidays. So, they’ve been inside in colder weather, they’ve gone back, and now they’re back here, and it’s spreading to Arizona," said Christ.

Crist said 95 percent of the cases being reported are the H1N1 type flu from 2009, which is covered by current vaccines. She encourages everybody to get vaccinated and said if you feel the symptoms of flu coming on, it is a good idea to stay home from work or school, so you do not affect coworkers or classmates.