If you have heart disease or have had a stroke, you are at higher risk of having complications from the flu, so get a shot, CDC says

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Even as influenza cases in Kentucky continue to decline, federal health officials remind people with heart disease that they need to get a flu shot. 

 That's because people with heart disease and those who have had a stroke are at higher risk of developing serious complications from the flu.

"If you have heart disease, or have had a stroke, it is especially important that you get a flu vaccine every flu season to protect against flu and its potentially serious complications," says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

A 2018 study found that the risk of having a heart attack was six times higher within a week of a confirmed flu infection. These findings were most pronounced for older adults and those experiencing their first heart attack, according to the CDC website. 

Additionally, a 2020 study that looked at more than 80,000 U.S. adults hospitalized with flu over eight flu seasons (2010-11 through 2017-18) found that sudden, serious heart complications occurred in one out of every eight patients.

The latest weekly report from the state Department for Public Health shows that in the week ended Feb. 5, Kentucky counted only 88 flu cases, down from 96 the week prior. The state has now recorded 2,576 cases this season and has reported no flu-related deaths. 

The state's flu level is "regional," which applies when increases in flu cases have been confirmed in at least two, but fewer than half, of the state's 16 regions. Flu season usually peaks between December and March, but can run through May.

The easternmost region of the state is the only region to show an increase in flu activity in the past week. 

The three counties with the highest number of confirmed flu cases were Jefferson, with 38; Hart, with 12; and Barren, with six.

As long as flu activity continues, health officials say it's still not too late for everyone six months and older to get a flu shot. And remember, it takes two weeks after getting the vaccine for it to be effective.