The CDC has been tracking the spread of H5 avian flu since last March. And while it doesn’t typically affect humans, experts are encouraging flu vaccines to reduce the chance of it spreading enough to mutate and better transmit between people.
“You can manage yourself better,” said Tom Leggett with Sonora Quest, whose labs are offering free COVID-19 and flu tests to uninsured Arizonans. “You know whether you have a flu, or if you don't have the flu or COVID, then you might have something that would respond to an antibiotic. “
Leggett added that there are also some free medications available, like Paxlovid, to treat COVID. And that while the CDC is paying for testing, he said, it's ultimately up to patients to seek out care.
“It’s simply you’re positive or you’re negative,” said Leggett. “And then you can figure out the type of treatment based off the severity of the symptoms that you have.”
While the flu vaccine doesn’t protect against bird flu, experts have emphasized that staying generally healthy – including seasonal injections – can keep both forms at bay.
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It’s been an extremely busy flu season in Arizona, but there are signs viral transmission is slowing down. -
Despite a later than usual start to flu season in Maricopa County, the number of cases is dramatically higher than a year ago. -
Roughly 1 million Americans a year are expected to develop dementia by 2060. That’s about double what was previously thought. -
A $476,081 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration will allow Circle the City's mobile medical teams to offer weekend services for the first time. -
The incoming Trump administration is expected to prioritize legislation focused on trans people. Orion Rummler is a reporter for the 19th, and he has been reporting on a series of bills working their way through Congress that specifically target trans people.
