Flu Sweeps the Nation

Last week, an entire school district in Idaho shut down because of student absences. Hospitals in California have been overwhelmed with patients, forcing some doctors to treat people in hallways and makeshift tents. Alabama has called a state public health emergency. Why? Because of the flu.

The flu, or influenza, has swept across the entire U.S. Public health officials say we may have reached the peak of the flu season. Hopefully there will be fewer cases going forward. However, they estimate there may be 11 to 13 more weeks of flu season left.  

“This year, influenza seems to have appeared in every part of the country at the same time,” says William Schaffner. Schaffner is an infectious diseases expert at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. This year’s flu season started earlier than usual and coincided with travel during the holiday season. Schaffner suspects the flu spread across the country as people hugged and kissed family members. As a result, doctors and hospitals are seeing flu cases all at once across the country.

Influenza is a virus, or a tiny particle that causes disease. Someone infected with the flu typically experiences a fever, aches, and hacking coughs. Different strains of the virus can circulate through the population. This year’s most common strain is H3N2, which causes more severe illnesses, says Schaffner.

Even though catching the flu can make you feel miserable, it usually goes away on its own. Antiviral drugs can help. However, for certain populations, such as children under 5 or adults over 65, the flu can cause serious complications such as pneumonia (lung inflammation), and even kill. Although otherwise healthy adults and teens can experience severe complications or die from the flu, they usually don’t. What makes this season’s flu noteworthy is that adults and teens are getting hit harder than usual. “This is a virus that can take a healthy person and put them in the Intensive Care Unit within 48 hours,” says Schaffner.

Schaffner says getting the flu vaccine is the best way to prevent getting sick. Because the flu virus mutates, or changes, rapidly, doctors must try to predict which strain will be the most common come flu season. The vaccine protects against 3 to 4 strains that researchers think will be the most common each year. This year, officials estimate the vaccination will reduce the risk of flu by about a third. Even if it doesn’t work perfectly, getting a flu shot is very important. Those who received flu shots but still get sick will likely have a less severe infection, says Schaffner. Plus, being vaccinated may protect people around you. “No one wants to be a dreaded spreader and bring the flu home,” says Schaffner.