Flu Season This Year Began At Christmas

Flu Season This Year Began At Christmas.
In Chicago, a infirmary staff member describes the emergency department as "knee-deep in flu and pneumonia cases". In Richmond, VA, Dr Kenneth Lucas of the Patient First clinic says he's seen a 30 percent happen in flu cases, which "hit the enthusiast around Christmastime" and "really rolled in with the holidays". And in Rhode Island, where almost 10 percent of crisis room visits in the over week were due to flu-like symptoms, state Health Department Director Michael Fine predicts this could be the worst flu opportunity in years scriptovore.com. This year's influenza season got off to an early start, and according to these and other published accounts it's ramping up as climax flu season nears.

And "as we have moved into the end of December and January, operation has really picked up in a lot more states," said Tom Skinner, spokesman for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fitoderm hci. Flu ripen usually peaks in tardily January or early February but by November the flu was already severe and widespread in some parts of the South and Southeast.

Farther north, work has escalated in the Mid-Atlantic states, including Virginia, in addition to Illinois and Rhode Island. "We did get off to an earlier flinch than we usually see". According to the most recent CDC statistics, wear updated Dec 22, 2012 16 states and New York City were reporting spaced out levels of flu activity. The states include Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

Experts aver each flu mature is unique. "Why one year flu occasion gets off to an early start versus a lately start is unknown". Last year's flu season was relatively mild. "We would contemplate this year's flu season will be more severe than last year, but how severe it's too early to say".

The prevailing strain so far this year is H3N2. "In years past when we have seen an H3N2 dominate, we attend to see more severe illness in young kids and the elderly". An estimated 36000 persons die from the flu and its complications in a typical season, according to the CDC. From 1976 to 2006, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States ranged from a inferior of about 3000 to a high of about 49000 people.

The best screen is for everyone 6 months of age and older to get the flu vaccine. "It's not too dead to get vaccinated". Ample vaccine was made available, but since it's late in the vaccination season it may be a spoonful harder to find.

Also encouraging is that the vaccine is a good match for the strains of flu circulating now. Flu symptoms subsume fever, cough, fatigue, head and body aches, and runny nose. People at picky risk for flu and its complications are pregnant women, those 65 and older and anyone with a habitual illness example. The CDC urges these people to get the flu vaccine, which is available as an injection or nasal flower and in a stronger dose for seniors.