By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
As chairman of the emergency department at University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, Dr. Craig Gronczewski has been seeing his share of flu patients.
Medical professionals like him are dealing with an uptick in flu cases this year, as the nation battles what’s been called a flu epidemic affecting most of the country. New York state has declared a public health emergency, while news reports show some states have a shortage of the flu vaccine.
Dr. Gronczewski said flu season is five weeks earlier than normal. He said the hospital is seeing a lot of flu and flu-like illnesses; patients run the gamut in ages from as young as 7-months-old to as old as 80.
Dr. Tina Tan, the New Jersey state epidemiologist in a phone interview last week, said there is increased flu activity, although health experts cannot put their finger on the reason why.
The Princeton Health Department and the local school district last week reported no major flu outbreaks or large numbers of flu cases.
On the Health Department website, www.princetonhealthoffice.org, Health Officer David A. Henry posted an information brochure on how people can protect themselves from the flu. There’s also a link to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Mr. Henry, who got his flu shot in October, recommended Monday that people wash their hands, cover their coughs and sneezes and stay home from work if they are sick.
Princeton School Superintendent Judith A. Wilson said last week there have been the “ups and downs with upper respiratory and flu but no major outbreaks.” She added that school nurses have put together basic flu information for parent newsletters.
For some, getting the flu is deadly. Late last year, two boys a 14-year-old from Ocean County in November and then an 8-month-old in December both died of complications from the flu, according to the state Department of Health. Both children had underlying health symptoms.
The state health office has information on its website, www.state.nj.us/health, informing people where to get a flu shot. Experts advise pregnant women, people 65 or older and people suffering from chronic health conditions such as asthma and diabetes to get the shot.

