It is flu season, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the number of cases is up sharply, with high activity reported in 26 states.

At the Palomar Medical Center near San Diego, the new year ushered in a brutal flu season.

"The day came when we had extended waits in the emergency department up to eight or nine hours for a patient to be seen," said Michelle Gunnett, emergency room nursing director. "We need to figure out other space to see patients."

That space ended up being a triage tent set up right outside the ER.

California is one of the 26 states reporting high flu activity. San Diego County, 강릉출장마사지 - https://www.anmastar.com/%ea%b0%95%eb%a6%89%ec%b6%9c%ec%9e%a5%ec%83%b5%c... with 7,314 confirmed cases, has had more than eight times the number seen this time last year.

Other areas feeling the strain include some Miami hospitals preparing flu tents. Emergency visits at a hospital in Toledo, Ohio surged 10 to 15 percent in a single week. A hospital system in Dallas is at critical capacity, and is rerouting non-emergency ambulance - http://bordersalertandready.com/?s=ambulance&search=Search patients.

Dr. Allan Hansen heads up Palomar's ER.

"It's a virus that is a flu strain that's been seen before," he said. "It's not clear why the volume of infection is so high at this time."

The strain, called H3N2, tends to cause especially severe illness. Last season's vaccine was only 32 percent effective - http://ajt-ventures.com/?s=effective against H3N2. It's unclear how effective this year's vaccine will be, but the CDC has advised people to begin antiviral treatment as soon as possible with drugs like Tamiflu.

Even though the flu shot may only be partially effective, the CDC still recommends getting it since some protection is better than none. If you do get the flu, having had the vaccine might lessen the severity of it.

The drug lamivudine, also known as 3TC, has been available for the treatment of hepatitis B since 1998, but the consequences of using it for years in those with serious liver disease or cirrhosis were unknown.

Researchers tested - http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/sitesearch.do?querystring=Researche... the drug for almost three years in 651 people, mostly Asians, and found it cut in half the risk of liver failure and the chances that the disease would develop into liver cancer.

About 8 percent of those who got lamivudine saw their liver disease get worse, compared with 18 percent of those who were given a dummy pill. The study was ended early because of the difference in the groups, and everyone was offered lamivudine.

The research is reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

"For years and years and years, we had absolutely nothing to offer patients who had advanced hepatitis B-related liver disease. So it's a significant study," said Dr. Jack R. Wands of the Liver Research Center and Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I.

Wands said other drugs are in development that could give doctors even more potent options for treating the incurable infection.

About 1.25 million Americans have chronic hepatitis B infections, and 15 percent to 25 percent will die of chronic liver disease, 영덕출장안마 - https://www.opanma.com/27-youngdeok according to government estimates. The hepatitis B virus is transmitted through blood, bodily fluids, and shared needles and from mother to child. Hepatitis B infections have been declining in the United States because of childhood vaccinations.

The study, led by Dr. Yun-Fan Liaw of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and University in Taipei Taiwan, was conducted in a number of countries in the Asia and Pacific region, where hepatitis B is an even bigger problem.

Liaw said doctors have been hesitant to use lamivudine long-term because some patients become resistant to the drug, which happened to about half of those in the study. If resistance develops, Liaw said, patients can now be switched to the newest hepatitis B drug, adefovir dipivoxil, or Hepsera. Hepsera was approved two years ago; its long-term effects are not yet known.

A third hepatitis B drug, interferon, has side effects and is generally used in patients with less advanced liver disease.

The study was paid for by GlaxoSmithKline, which sells lamivudine as Epivir-HBV, and company employees were involved in the research. Some of the study's researchers - http://www.msnbc.com/search/study%27s%20researchers have received speaking fees from GlaxoSmithKline or support from other drug makers. Wands has received a research grant from a drug company developing another hepatitis B drug.

By Stephanie Nano