For now, flu poses bigger threat than coronavirus

How concerned should you be about the coronavirus? Not much, said Morgan City physician Dr. Robert Blereau, unless you have traveled recently to China or are in contact with someone who has.
"Right now, the flu is of greater concern for us than coronavirus,” Blereau said.
Blereau’s office said they are diagnosing around one case of Type A flu per day.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
In October, just two weeks into flu season, the Center for Disease Control ranked Louisiana as the state hit hardest by newly diagnosed flu cases.
While there have been no diagnosed cases of coronavirus in Louisiana yet, there have been 11 diagnosed cases in different parts of the United States in the past two weeks.
On Jan. 30, the International Health Regulations Emergency committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency and on Jan. 31, Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency for the United States.
The Center for Disease Control says they expect to see more confirmed cases in the United States in the coming weeks by person-to-person spread.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats and bats, but it was rare for animal coronaviruses to infect people and then spread by person-to-person contact.
In Wuhan, China, there was some link to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread.
Later, a growing number of patients did not have exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread.
On Wednesday, Nicholls State University announced it is prohibiting students, faculty and staff members from traveling to China for university business or academic purposes.
A Nicholls statement said the policy is in accordance with the U.S. State Department’s warning against travel to China.
“There have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Louisiana,” the university said, “and we have no reason to believe that the Nicholls community is at an elevated risk. However, we have made this decision in order to ensure that our community members remain safe and healthy as they travel abroad.”
The CDC characterized coronavirus as “a very serious public health threat. The fact that this virus has caused severe illness and sustained person-to-person spread in China is concerning, but it’s unclear how the situation in the United States will unfold at this time.”
The CDC suggests that all people should stay informed. Their website is updated daily with information and advice for the public and can be found at cdc.gov/ncov.
The CDC also suggests that individuals should take preventative actions that are always recommended to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, such as avoiding close contact with sick people. Stay home if you are sick and cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth as germs spread this way and wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
The Center for Disease Control also recognizes that “the immediate risk of this new virus to the American public is believed to be low at this time It’s currently flu and respiratory disease season and CDC recommends getting vaccinated,
“The flu lasts until May,” Blereau said. “We may not be worrying about coronavirus here right now, but we are worried about the flu. It is never too late to get your flu shot.”