The recently ended flu season in Pennsylvania was a brutal and deadly one. An eye-popping, modern record-breaking 255 deaths occurred statewide from flu-complicated illnesses, according to the state Health Department.

On top of that, there were 121,300 cases of the flu reported and verified; 11,521 of the cases were in the five-county Times News area. All of these numbers are record-breakers, too, the department said.

This is only a tiny percentage of those who get the flu, because many self-treat the symptoms and never get medical help.

A health department representative said most people with the flu do not go to the doctor or emergency room, nor are they tested. The representative also said that it is estimated that 5 to 20 percent of all Pennsylvanians (600,000 to 2,400,000) get the flu each year. The flu kills about 36,000 people a year throughout the United States and between 250,000 and 500,000 a year worldwide.

The hardest-hit county in our region this past flu season was Northampton, where 5,565 cases were reported, ranking the county among the five highest statewide. Then came Lehigh County with 3,639 cases; Schuylkill, 1,186; Monroe, 711, and Carbon, 420.

About 80 percent of the 255 statewide deaths occurred among those 65 and older — 203. There were 38 deaths among those 50-64, eight among those 19 to 49 and six among those 18 and younger.

To give you an idea of the enormity of what we have just been through, of the 121,300 cases detected during the 2017-18 season, most were influenza type A, specifically the H3N2 strain, with the Health Department reporting that there were 50,000 more cases and 100 more deaths reported than during the previous flu season.

The Wolf administration raised the alarm that the flu is a “disease that can leave people sick for days but can also be serious, even deadly, for vulnerable Pennsylvanians.”

Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine urged residents to get the annual flu vaccine. “It remains the most effective way to protect your health and the health of those around you,” Levine said. She also said that the simple act of washing hands is one of the most effective ways to protect your loved ones and yourself from the flu.

Some area emergency rooms strained under the caseload. The flu was particularly bad during January and February. During one week in February, there were 15,000 cases reported statewide. In fact, for five consecutive weeks during the early part of 2018, more than 10,000 cases of flu were confirmed.

Although there were some flu cases reported during May in Pennsylvania, the health department stopped tracking them because of their infrequency. The state has reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta that the state has seen “sporadic” flu activity since early May.

The flu is a highly contagious disease caused by the influenza virus which in some years can be especially virulent. It attacks the nose, throat and lungs. Symptoms range from fever, fatigue and body aches to sore throat, nasal congestion and headaches.

The health department representative said that the best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated annually. “Everyone 6 months of age and older should get the flu vaccine, ideally in October,” Levine said. It takes about two weeks for the shot to develop protection against infection.

These annual shots are not without their critics. This past year’s flu vaccine was not nearly as effective as some have been, leading to widespread grumbling and criticism. Even so, Levine said, typically those who are vaccinated then get the flu will see milder symptoms.

The word “influenza” comes from the medieval Latin word “influential,” because people once believed that the influence of the planets, stars and moon caused the flu. The French call the flu “la grippe,” a word that was showcased in a song from the hit Broadway play “Guys and Dolls.”

There have been four major global flu pandemics since 1900. The most serious was the Spanish flu in 1918-19 which killed between 50 million and 100 million worldwide. The most recent was the swine flu outbreak in 2009, which killed nearly 203,000 worldwide.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com