What's Going Around: Flu, allergies, pink eye

Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Physicians Roseville Pediatrics reportes a large increase in influenza, specifically influenza A.

They also saw an increase in seasonal allergies and both viral and bacterial pink eye.

They continued to treat ongoing cases of diarrhea, ear infections and viral colds.

"Our testing indications and numbers of COVID tests have decreased, and we actually had a zero percent return positivity rate of the swabbed patients last week for the first time since testing became available," said Dr. Joan Thode.

Thode offered the following advice about the flu:

"Influenza is a group of viruses that causes a syndrome of fevers, chills, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, congestion, cough, headache and sore throat. These symptoms occur due to the virus invading the cells of the body, as well as the immune system's attack of the body's cells in an attempt to kill the virus that invaded them. When there is a body-wide immune attack on flu-invaded cells, tissues and organs can be damaged to the point of not functioning. That is when the flu can become dangerous and deadly. That's why getting your family vaccinated is so important.

A major issue with influenza is that it rapidly changes its outward appearance. While the core structure of the flu stays the same, the tiny molecules that adorn its surface can change rapidly. This makes it hard to create a flu vaccine that primes the immune system's memory cells to recognize the surface of the flu, because that surface changes. That's why, unlike other vaccines, the flu shot is never perfect. BUT that's also why the makers of the flu vaccine include not only pieces of the predicted surface molecules, but ALSO pieces of the core structure of the flu that doesn't change. This is where getting the flu shot can be lifesaving."

WellSpan Pediatric Medicine Physicians across the Midstate are seeing asthma flares, influenza, seasonal allergies and viral upper respiratory illnesses. They're also seeing stomach bugs, although those case numbers seem to be declining.

The CVS MinuteClinic in York has seen upper respiratory infections that are not COVID-19 and viral bronchitis.