School is back in session. So is the importance of flu testing.
By Virginia Templet
Maine’s students are back in school. Flu season is not far behind, accelerating in the fall and continuing into the new year.
As kids interact in the classroom and outside of school, parents should prepare for a surge in influenza. Last year, flu season brought upwards of 54 million cases and 24 million medical visits, including hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations. Tragically, the flu led to tens of thousands of lost lives as symptoms turned for the worse.
This year brings yet another warning sign. While kids are not typically at risk of the flu’s most severe consequences, it can still be dangerous, and new research out of Australia shows the need for vigilance. It is currently winter in Australia, and public health experts see cases picking up. While flu transmission was down overall, Australian officials are warning about the waning of “population immunity.” The country has experienced a later-than-usual winter surge driven by early high transmission and low vaccination rates.
The key for parents and kids to navigate flu season safely is to prioritize testing. Ignorance may be bliss, but it doesn’t improve public health outcomes. Testing for viruses allows us to make informed healthcare decisions on an individual level, and influenza is a perfect case study.
Flu testing guides timely medical treatment, prevents the misuse of antibiotics, and helps stop community outbreaks. Because the flu is highly contagious, knowing the diagnosis (for better or worse) can help mitigate the consequences of contagion. Early testing allows doctors to prescribe specific antiviral drugs within 48 hours of symptom onset, reducing the chances of severe illness and the length of hospital stay.
The numbers don’t lie. Conducting rapid on-site flu testing and treatment is shown to cut hospitalizations by 21%, emergency room visits by 22% and hospital length-of-stay by 36%.
This brings personal benefits and positive impact on a societal scale. Maine’s hospitals are already overwhelmed for various reasons. There is no shortage of affliction in today’s world, so doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals can use all the help they can get. We can step up by assuming individual responsibility and prioritizing early detection through testing, helping to alleviate the burden on our state’s vulnerable healthcare system.
It isn’t too much to ask. Flu tests are readily available and there are many types of them, most notably the rapid diagnostic test. After a quick nasal or throat swab, results are now available within minutes, allowing patients to turn the page from detection to treatment and recovery.
Influenza is only the tip of the iceberg. From the flu to other viruses, testing has always been a critical tool in the healthcare toolbox. We saw it during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, we are seeing it with tuberculosis in other parts of the globe, and we will continue to see that early detection is the first step to a healthier world. Testing is a symbol of proactiveness, supporting other tools such as vaccination.
The back-to-school season is a timely reminder of viral transmission as an unfortunate reality. Whether it is influenza, a stomach bug, or the common cold, transmission spikes when people are in close proximity to each other. The same logic applies to concerts, sporting events, and other community gatherings. Of course, these gatherings are extremely important for us as social beings, but they still warrant individual responsibility after the fact.
With school in session, let us hope for a healthier Maine, where people take testing and treatment more seriously than ever. If we take responsibility, our hope will turn into better health.
Templet serves as the marketing director at Puritan Medical Products.