BANGOR (NEWS CENTER Maine) – The flu virus gripping the country is also taking its toll in Maine early on this year.
Nationwide statistics show it is not usually until February that flu season peaks, according to the CDC.
"Flu is notorious for rapid mutation,” Michelle Woody said.
Woody is studying various strains of the virus at the University of Maine. She and her colleague, Clarissa Henry, found that influenza is linked to severe muscle breakdown and disease.
Their work used small organisms known as zebrafish to look at the impacts on humans. The researchers said this season proves just how quick the virus changes.
“Its genome is constantly shifting and changing in response to the medicines we throw at it the vaccines we throw at it,” Woody said.
Here in Maine there have been at least 21 deaths already in the 2017-2018 season, according to the Maine CDC. So far more than 1,110 cases have been confirmed.
If you break it down by county, York and Penobscot have the most with more than 200 confirmed cases.
Knox, Hancock, Kennebec, Androscoggin and Somerset counties have anywhere from 50-100 cases.
Piscataquis County was least impacted with fewer than 10.
"I don't think people recognize the real dangers of the flu,” Dr. Courtney Tague said.
Tague said she has seen a lot of flu at the EMMC clinic in Bangor as well as at the hospital lately. Even with this year’s vaccine being about 30-percent affective, she said it is still important to get it.
NEWS CENTER Maine brought some of your concerns about the flu shot to Dr. Tague to respond to.
Dave Jones commented on Facebook: “I get my flu shot every year including this year. Still got sick…”
Dr. Tague: "So you certainly can still get the flu after you've had the vaccine. It may be one of those strains that wasn't covered by the vaccine but typically people will be less severely ill."
Sonya Murphy shared: “I haven’t gotten the flu shot in over ten years and I haven’t gotten the flu.”
Dr. Tague: "You still can get the flu but part of the idea of getting the vaccine is that we're protecting everyone else around us."
Liz Mckegan wrote: “The(y) didn’t hit the mark with flu vaccine being given this year.”
Dr. Tague: We still recommend getting the vaccine even if it covers only say 20-percent of the strains out there that's a win for us."
As the flu is expect to intensify, experts say you should also use common sense when it comes to personal hygiene and staying home from work or school if you are sick.
"You're not just protecting yourself, you're protecting the people that you love and the people that you're around every day,” Dr. Tague said.