Board of Health discusses methods to combat influenza

The Columbia Board of Health hosted two doctors who described the science and policy behind vaccinations at their Thursday meeting.

Drs. Christelle Ilboudo and Kristin Sohl presented the board with information on the “nuts and bolts of vaccines,” and what role vaccines play in the community, respectively.

This year the Board of Health helped administer 9,761 influenza shots to students in both public and private schools across the county, which is more than last year.

According to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services (MOHSS), 3,558 cases of seasonal influenza, otherwise known as the flu, have been reported since Oct. 1 of 2017. By this time last year, only 2,570 cases had been reported, fulfilling health expert’s prediction that this year’s flu season would be worse.

The flu has become “widespread” in Missouri, according to the MOHSS, meaning influenza has been found in at least half of the regions in the state.

Since the beginning of October one death has been caused by influenza, according to a MOHSS report. Pneumonia and influenza have caused 370 deaths in Missouri as of early December.