The US flu season has arrived on schedule after taking a year off, with flu hospitalizations rising and two child deaths reported.
Last year’s flu season in the US was the lowest on record.
“This is setting itself up to be more of a normal flu season,” said Lynnette Brammer, who tracks flu-like illnesses for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The childhood deaths are “unfortunately what we would expect when flu activity picks up,” Brammer said.
“It’s a sad reminder of how severe flu can be,” she said.
During last year’s unusually light flu season, one child died.
In contrast, 199 children died from flu two years ago and 144 the year before that.
In the newest data, the most intense flu activity was in Washington and the number of states with high flu activity rose from three to seven.
In CDC figures released on Monday, states with high flu activity were New Mexico, Kansas, Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia and North Dakota.
The type of virus circulating this year tends to cause the largest amount of severe disease, especially in elderly and very young people, Brammer said.
Last year’s low flu data made it more challenging to plan for this year’s flu vaccine, she said.
So far, it looks like what is circulating is in a slightly different subgroup from what the vaccine targets, but it’s “really too early to know” whether that will blunt the vaccine’s effectiveness, Brammer said.
“We’ll have to see what the impact of these little changes” will be, Brammer said. “Flu vaccine is your best way to protect yourself against flu.”
There are early signs that fewer people are getting flu shots compared with last year.
With hospitals already stretched by COVID-19, it is more important than ever to get a flu shot and take other precautions, Brammer said.
“Cover your cough. Wash your hands. Stay home if you’re sick,” Brammer said. “If you do get flu, there are antivirals you can talk to your doctor about that can prevent severe illness and help you stay out of the hospital.”
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