Flu Epidemic In NY State – Fed Help Requested

This is by far the worst flu season New York State has seen in quite some time. It is so bad, that a local Senator is asking that the federal government get involved to monitor the spread of the flu in New York. Last week, when I was stricken with the flu, it was the worst week for the illness all season. New York state saw a fifty-four percent increase in just last week alone. Senator Chuck Schumer is asking the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to help monitor the epidemic in our state.

He wants a team to assist local health care workers and state health officials by studying the spread of the flu, assessing the impact on the state's overall population, and identifying the strains involved. He's hoping that the CDC and the team could help New York state break through the epidemic it's experiencing.

Senator Schumer is hoping the CDC will fulfill his request. So far more than 5200 New Yorkers have been hospitalized with the flu this season.