Flu Is Getting An Early Start In The US This Season

(CNN) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told doctors on a conference call this week that the United States is seeing more flu than is typical for this time of year. “Influenza is off to an early start,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University who was on the CDC call, which included members of the Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network, a group of hospitals that help the CDC assess the severity of the flu season. Thirty states are seeing flu activity — for this time of year, that’s the most states in a decade. Three states, California, Louisiana and Maryland, are seeing widespread activity, while seven states are seeing regional activity: Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Texas. That means it’s more important than ever to get a flu shot now, rather than putting it off. It’s not too late, as the peak of the season is still ahead. “So far, the vaccine has been a good match to all the strains that are out there,” Schaffner said. Looking at the United States as a whole, CDC data shows more flu activity from September 29 to November 9 than in the same time period for six other flu seasons that CDC used as a comparison. Only one season in the comparison had more activity at this time of year: the unusually severe 2009 pandemic flu season that broke records. When the flu starts early, it sometimes — but not always — po...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Boston News Health Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated CBSN Boston flu season Source Type: news