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Certified Medical Assistant Marquita Frederick gives a flu shot to Lee Ann Gary at Roper St. Francis Express Care on James Island Thursday January 18, 2018. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff

It was like a tidal wave. And no one could stop it. 

That's how Dr. Todd Detar described this flu season — one that killed more than 250 people in this state, hospitalized more than 4,440 and afflicted more than 130,000. 

"A lot of the providers were struggling with the amount of volume that they had to care for," said Detar, the medical director of four Roper St. Francis Express Care locations. 

Normally, 100 patients walk into an Express Care on any given day, he said. During the height of flu season, volume was up 50 percent. 

"That was a struggle," he said. 

The good news is flu season is finally winding down. Numbers published by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control this week show influenza-like illness is now minimal across the state. The number of flu deaths, hospitalizations and diagnoses continues to drop. 

Flu season typically ends in May. And while DHEC hasn't published the official end-of-season report, it's clear that preliminary figures already prove the 2017-2018 flu season was one of the worst South Carolina has seen in several years. 

To date, 254 South Carolinians have died from the flu this season, nearly three times as many as the previous season and more than five times as many as the 2015-16 flu season.

Why was it so much worse?

A couple reasons, experts say. The vaccine was only about 36 percent effective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That doesn't mean the flu shot didn't work. Most providers reported that patients who had been vaccinated and still caught the flu appeared less sick than those who never got a flu shot. 

Mostly, they blame the severe season on H3N2, a strain associated with particularly nasty symptoms that has been difficult to guard against with a vaccine. 

"We don’t right now have a vaccine that’s 100 percent effective," said Dr. Tracy Foo, DHEC's immunization medical consultant. "But even if the vaccine isn’t 100 percent effective, it’s still good to get."

This season's vaccine seemed to offer more protection for children than adults, she said, but that didn't stop the flu from claiming the lives of 156 children across the country, including three in South Carolina. 

"That’s three too many," Foo said. "Lesson learned, we really need to make sure our citizens are protected and get their flu vaccines early in the season."

Health care experts are optimistic this year's harsh season will prompt more people to do just that come fall. 

"I do anticipate that this coming season there will be a lot more flu shots given," said Matt Erickson, the assistant medical director of four Health First locations in the Lowcountry. 

This much is certain: The memory of this season will be hard to shake — for patients and providers. 

"It hit very quickly and very hard," Erickson said. "It was extremely busy."

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Reach Lauren Sausser at 843-937-5598. 

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