Yavapai County Has An Unusual Flu Season With A Skipped First Peak

By Mythili Gubbi
Published: Friday, March 15, 2019 - 8:34am
Updated: Friday, March 15, 2019 - 8:57am

While flu numbers in the rest of the state have declined from the peak, last week Yavapai County recorded its highest number of cases this season.

Usually, the flu season has two spikes. And while the statewide numbers follow that pattern, Yavapai County told a different story.

“For some reason this season, we missed the first spike,” said Stephen Everett, Yavapai County’s epidemiologist. “We didn’t have a large spike that we usually do and the current increase is actually right on schedule for our second spike and that’s just a little higher than our five-year average.”

The reasons for that happening are unclear and hard to determine. Everett said he has never seen a flu season in Yavapai that skipped the first spike. Besides that, this year’s season has been consistent with previous years.

Everett also recommends that people who haven’t got their flu shot yet should get it because the season isn’t over yet.

Science