U.S. health officials announced early in December that this year’s influenza season had started early and they predicted it would hit hard. Unfortunately, as reports from around the country make clear, they were right.

The flu began spreading on the East Coast by early November and soon worked its way west across the country. On January 9, New York City Health Commissioner Thomas A. Farley asked residents with flu symptoms to call their primary doctor first before traveling to the city’s already crowded emergency rooms. Then Boston declared a public health emergency because physicians there were reporting a ten-fold increase in the number of flu cases, compared to last year’s much milder flu season.

Public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasized that the outbreak has not yet peaked and that anyone who was not yet vaccinated could still benefit from getting this season’s flu shot. Although it takes two weeks for a person to get the full benefits, the vaccine offers some degree of protection long before then. The flu vaccine is about 60 percent effective, but even people who come down with the flu after having been vaccinated are less likely to need to be hospitalized.

This year’s vaccine is considered well-matched against the flu because it contains both the H3N2 strain that is predominant this year, as well as the H1N1 strain that has been circulating in smaller numbers.

The last time the flu season started this early was in the winter of 2003-2004.

Interestingly, the type of flu that predominated then as now was the H3N2 strain. Health officials estimate that this strain causes more severe illness because young people in particular have had less exposure to it. They also note that the flu hit before many people had a chance to get vaccinated.

Other than vaccination, the best defense against catching the flu is to wash your hands regularly (or use a hand sanitizer), cover your cough and stay home if you get sick to avoid spreading the highly contagious virus to co-workers or people in hospitals and nursing homes.

7 Comments

1. 1. Christine Gorman 11:43 AM 1/11/13

   Flu is hitting hard elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere. For example, Denmark and France (both countries with universal care systems) have both reported increased flu activity over the past couple of weeks to the World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/influenza/gisrs_laboratory/updates/summaryreport/en/

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2. 2. thinkitthrough 12:18 PM 1/12/13

   Don't leave out vitamin D as a preventive. Adequate doses (at least 2000 IU for the young and 5000 IU for the old every day) have been shown in placebo controlled studies to offer at least as much protection as the vaccine. And it has so many other benefits, why would anyone leave it out?

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3. 3. greenhome123 03:19 PM 1/14/13

   in regards to vitamin D, the best source is simply going outside in the sun, without sunscreen, around noon time for 30 min or so with as much skin exposed as possible. if you have darker skin then you probably need to make it an hour.

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4. 4. Technopoly 11:24 AM 1/16/13

   @greenhome123.....Sounds like you live in the warm belt....I would not be trying that advice in Northern Minnesota, North Dakota, or any of the mid Canadian provinces, where I happen to be located. The only protrusion from one's body might be the nose, due to the extra articles of clothing needed to ward off frostbite. Exposed skin will freeze quickly at windchills of -25C and lower.

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5. 5. comefullcircle 02:04 AM 1/27/13

   I noticed that the map is displaying the date "Week ending January 4, 2014" ... correct me if I'm wrong, but is this not the year 2013? Perhaps the map is displaying the correct date, and that's what they've got planned for the year 2014! Odd how these flu strains just show up out of nowhere - or maybe they do have an origin - let's not lose sight of the fact that Big Pharma makes a lot of money on these flu vaccinations. What better way to insure a continuing flow of money than to convince the public that they'd better get those shots this year - wouldn't want to risk getting the flu now, would you?
   I have never gotten a flu vaccination, and I have never had the flu. You could not pay me enough money to be the recipient of one, as a matter of fact. As well, although this article and map indicate otherwise, I don't know of one person in my area who has had the flu! Like Jack Nicholson said in the movie, "As Good As It Gets" .... "go try selling crazy somewhere else - we're all booked up here."

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6. 6. Technopoly 10:41 AM 1/27/13

   The Flu is a virus....nothing conspiratorial about that. It seeks to exist in a host just like any other virus. I never get a Flu shot either. The Flu virus was brought into our home via our grandson...not intentionally of course ( maybe he has clandestine employment with Big Pharma, but I doubt it at 19 years of age ). Nothing out of the ordinary was done, other than more rest, fluids, and an occasional generic Acetaminophen for the body aches. This particular strain for some reason, compared to my last infection about 20 years ago, really causes strong body aches and pain. The intense flu effects were pretty much over in five days, with minor lingering effects lasting another couple of days. The big difference here for " comefullcircle " is that I have not smoked for 43 years, and at 67 years I walk on average 5 miles a day..winter 0 to -25C, and summer... bike 20 miles a day. My body is in reasonably good condition to fight off a virus....others are not so fortunate, especially the very young and the elderly. The flu shot has an approximate 45% success rate and for anyone with a compromised immune system, the alternative to not getting the flu shot could be life ending. I am reasonably sure you would not wish such a permanent ending "for want of a flu shot", for any members of your immediate, extended family, or friends.

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7. 7. bucketofsquid 03:49 PM 1/30/13

   Still better than 1916 was for flu.

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