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                        Boston Reels Under Flu Outbreak

   by Steve Baragona

   With flu cases spiking in the U.S. city of Boston, the mayor has taken
   an unusual step. He has declared a public health emergency and is
   urging people to get vaccinated. While not everyone believes there is a
   crisis, the declaration is making many Bostonians take action.
   Hand washing is a big deal at the Tufts Medical Center emergency room.
   Nurse Sandy Gibbons said they've seen a surge of flu patients in the
   last couple weeks .
   "And it came on very fast. That's what we've noticed. It went from
   being a trickle to inundated within a matter of two to three days,"
   said Gibbons.
   Hospitals are inundated across Boston. Influenza cases are up more than
   10-fold from last year's mild season. And that's a challenge for
   hospitals that already are nearly full,  said Dr. David Hooper at
   Massachusetts General Hospital.
   "The surge in influenza patients since early December has really added
   a lot more pressure on managing beds and making sure everyone gets the
   care they need," he said.
   But while 47 of the 50 U.S. states are reporting widespread flu
   activity, the response from Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is so far
   unique.
   "Today [January 9] I am declaring a public health emergency in the city
   of Boston," said Menino.
   The city is offering free flu shots at clinics across the city and
   urging everyone to get vaccinated.
   The emergency declaration is a welcome but unexpected move, said
   Hooper.
   "Some would call it an emergency, some would call it a challenging year
   that we've got to step to the next level on," he said.
   City officials say the point is to raise the urgency level for people
   to get vaccinated. Early figures show that only about 35 percent had
   received flu shots as of November.
   The mayor's announcement got Leona Hampton's attention.
   "I got really nervous. My doctors had talked to me previously about
   getting the flu shot, but I was a little leery, like, 'Oh, I never get
   the flu.' But I need to change my thinking," she said.
   Changing people's thinking is not easy. Dental student McKenna Cox is
   recovering from the flu. She did not get vaccinated, and she does not
   plan to next year, because, like many people, she said it's not that
   big a deal.
   "I think it's kind of crazy, the whole manic panic about the whole
   thing. I mean, this is New England in the winter. People get sick," she
   said.
   But as they struggle to find empty beds in Boston's emergency rooms,
   doctors disagree.
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   utbreak/1582688.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us_boston_reels_under_flu_influenza_outbreak/1582688.html