What’s making the Myrtle Beach area sick? SC doctors explain this year’s strange flu season
If you’ve been laid up in bed with a nasty bug recently, you’re not alone. Respiratory infections have slammed South Carolina this winter, and flu cases continue to surge in the Grand Strand.
“This year in particular, flu is very high in the community, more than others. When we talk about multiple different respiratory bugs, there’s flu, there’s RSV, there’s COVID and there are just regular viruses [like the] common cold,” said Dr. Sean Nguyen, a physician at Tidelands Health Family Medicine at The Market Common.
While flu cases rise every winter, the 2024-2025 flu season is especially bad and unusually late.
“Each flu season is sort of unique. What we’re seeing this year is that our increase is a little later than it has been typically in the last few years, so we’re seeing a little bit of a late rise,” said Dr. Martha Buchanan, director of the South Carolina Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Communicable Disease Prevention and Control.
Across the state, labs confirmed more than 8,300 new flu cases in South Carolina the week of Feb. 2, the most recent SCDPH data available. That’s more than twice the number of new cases confirmed around the same time period in the last couple of flu seasons.
And the Myrtle Beach area is no exception. According to Nguyen, the community’s seen “a lot of flu” in the last few weeks.
So far this season 33 people have passed away from flu-related deaths in the Pee Dee region alone and 104 people have died statewide. Here’s what to know about this year’s flu, how to stay safe and when the flu season could finally slow down.
How unusual are the infection numbers?
Flu data specific to Horry County isn’t available, but across South Carolina labs have confirmed about 48,600 influenza cases in the 2024-2025 flu season so far. That’s nearly double the five-season average of roughly 25,300 cases.
And there are more cases to come. While cases this winter are still well below the approximately 67,500 cases confirmed in the 2023-2024 flu season, it’s still comparatively early in the 2024-2025 season.
Lab-confirmed cases in South Carolina peaked in November in the 2022-2023 season and December in the 2023-2024 season. But so far this flu season, South Carolina’s seen the most confirmed cases the week of Jan. 26 through Feb. 1.
Influenza-related hospitalizations are also high. About 5,500 people in South Carolina have been hospitalized for the flu in the 2024-2025 season so far–up from last season’s approximately 4,090 hospitalizations and well above the five-season average of 1,880 hospitalizations.
Why is the flu so bad this year?
As with any virus, human behavior impacts the spread of the flu. People gather indoors more in the cold season, and closer quarters and less ventilation correspond with rises in respiratory illnesses. The winter months also mean drier air, which Buchanan explains could impact transmissibility.
“One of the theories behind that is that, because the air is less humid, you cough things out — those little, tiny droplets that nobody can see. They weigh less because there’s less moisture in them and they can go further and therefore potentially expose more people to those viruses,” Buchanan said.
Flu season is one of life’s certainties, but why is this year particularly bad? According to Nguyen, there’s no one answer.
“Obviously, it’s the strain that we try to hit every year with the flu vaccine,” Nguyen said. “Some years we do better in terms of finding the exact strain to vaccinate and prevent.”
Horry County’s temperamental weather this winter might also have contributed to the rash of flu infections in the area.
“One day it’s 30 degrees [Fahrenheit], 40 degrees and then it’s 70 degrees, so I think it makes it hard for our bodies to adjust to a normal routine in terms of just how we dress, how we exercise, sleep, everything’s just different,” Nguyen said.
Is the end in sight?
Although flu infections and hospitalizations are much higher now than past flu seasons in February, the SCDPH data signals the virus is finally slowing in South Carolina.
While flu-related hospitalizations have remained constant, the good news is the number of new flu cases confirmed the week of Feb. 2 dropped from the week prior according to the latest SCDPH data available.
“We’re hopeful that we hit the plateau,” Nguyen said. “[The flu] may linger for a few more weeks, as people kind of continually spread the illness, and hopefully, in a few more weeks, it will settle and kind of come back down.
Staying safe
As the flu continues to spread around the Myrtle Beach area, there are steps you can take to protect yourself, your family and your community.
Nguyen’s “biggest preach” is practicing proper hand hygiene. The CDC recommends washing your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds and using hand sanitizer when soap isn’t available.
Vaccines are another way to limit the severity of symptoms and reduce the chance of contracting or spreading the flu. Even though it’s late in the flu season, Nguyen encourages folks who haven’t been vaccinated to contact their doctor or local pharmacy about getting the shot.
If you think you’ve come down with the flu or another respiratory bug like RSV or COVID, staying home protects those around you at work or school. A medical provider can advise you on when it’s safe to return to your regular schedule, identify what you caught and prescribe any medicine you might need.
Beyond flu-specific precautions, it’s always smart to prioritize your health.
“Something we can all do year-round to keep ourselves healthy is getting plenty of sleep, eating a good, healthy diet and getting regular exercise,” Buchanan said. “All of those things help us be healthier and have a healthier immune system, so that if we do get exposed to viruses or less likely to get ill.”