MINNEAPOLIS — M-S-P International is now one of 20 U.S. airports that is screening for the deadly coronavirus.
Centers for Disease Control staff are checking travelers coming from China.
If a traveler appears sick, the screener may order that person to be taken to a hospital.
Dr. Frank Rhame uses laughter to calm his patients.
He is an Infectious Disease Specialist at Allina Health.
“It is not a disease you want to get because 2-3 percent (of people who contract Coronavirus) are going to die at the least,” Rhame said. “The coronavirus is a big deal. There is no treatment for this, except support.”
An example of support, he says, is intubation of the lungs.
But as the world watches, the spread of the coronavirus, Rhame says there is something that should cause greater concern.
“Influenza is way more infectious and harder to stop,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 15 million flu illnesses with 140,000 people sent to the hospital and 8,200 deaths in the U.S. this season.
Rhame said while the flu vaccine can vary in how well it works, it is better than nothing.
“It is really a shame if you don’t get it and you are one of those folks who gets the flu,” he said. “It doesn't work after you've got it. You much rather get immune by getting a vaccine than getting the illness.”
How many people does the flu shot save from death?
Rhame said it protects about “forty percent” of people.
He said that's about 30-40 thousand deaths prevented each year.
The CDC says antiviral drugs are not a substitute for getting a flu vaccine. Rhame says they can help if you get sick.
“Tamiflu, if given in first 48 hours, we usually give in the first 72 because not sure about that next 24-hour period, will reduce the hospitalization rate and the duration of fever,” he said. “It is hard to prove that it saved lives. It is worth getting if you get it early enough after your onset of symptoms. It is not a bad deal to get exposed to things that cause immunity.”
Rhame added there is no advantage to getting that immunity from the disease as opposed to the vaccine.
“There is no evidence that getting immunity makes it worse. It is the failure to get immunity in certain sub groups that cause these shifts,” he said. “Gaps in immunity is what really causes those shifts to occur.”
Meanwhile, the symptoms of coronavirus are similar to the flu. Rhame said people should see a doctor? If you've recently traveled internationally, especially to China and start developing flu-like symptoms, such as a high fever, cough or severe fatigue, it's important to see your doctor right away.