Posted on 01/21/2018 4:27:01 PM PST by blam
The flu season that's already been the worst in nearly a decade is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, according to the latest report released Friday from the nation's health protection agency.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the flu that is blanketing every state except Hawaii is growing more intense and deadly. So far this season, the flu has claimed the lives of at least 30 children, according to the latest CDC report.
"The peak of flu season is in February, so we have about a month for things to get worse," Dr. Manny Alvarez, Fox News Senior Managing Health Editor, said Sunday on "America's News HQ."
Dr. Kelly Powers provides insight about this especially virulent strain. Video
Thirty-two states reported high patient traffic last week, up from 26 the previous week. That is how the CDC gets a measure of the season based on how many doctor or hospital visits are because of cough or other flu symptoms. Overall, the health agency said it was the busiest week for flu symptoms in nine years.
FLU DEATHS PROMPT WARNINGS FROM VICTIMS' FAMILIES AS OUTBREAK CONTINUES
"This is a season that has a lot more steam than we thought," Dr. Dan Jernigan with the CDC told the Associated Press.
The virus that's predominating this year is Influenza A (H3N2), and that tends to be more severe. It affects the elderly and the very young, epidemiologist Lynnette Brammer, who leads the CDC's Domestic Influenza Surveillance Team, told Fox News.
In a bad season, there are as many as 56,000 deaths connected to the flu. In the U.S., annual flu shots are recommended for everyone age 6 months or older.
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(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
It wasn’t the flu.
It was fake flu like.
Likely the man was already in poor health. They die first.
Flu vaccine only works 10% of the time.
If you had 10 vaccinations over the years, it only addressed ONE flu virus.
And this is why I won’t be traveling the next few weeks...
My uncle died from it in the epidemic of 1918.
Now I don't want to go where there a lot of people and seriously thinking about wearing a mask if I have to go to hospital, dr. Have an older one, what could I line it with for a little extra protection, if anything?
Her doctor told her that even if the shot wasn't for the most virulent strain, if you did get another strain, you weren't likely to get as sick.
And my other daughter very sick, was in the ER yesterday, very worried about her. She didn't get the shot either.
Cousin just passed yesterday morning from flu. 55
Eat healthy, stay fit. That is how you avoid getting sick. Flu shots are non sense. IMHO.
My little granddaughter got it, then passed it on to daughter and SIL. Her brother didn’t get it. They are OK now, but I stayed away from them for two weeks.
Influenza is a virus, I guess nobody ever told you that wearing a cloth mask to stop a virus, is like having a chicken wire roof to stop the rain.
Viruses are really VERY SMALL.
That’s to prevent BACTERIAL infection, not VIRAL protection!
The number of headstones engraved with 1918 is chilling. More people died in the 1918 flu pandemic than were killed in WWI.
Sounds like a great life.
Actually the odds for them to survive at that age were not all that bad, the 1918 flu epidemic killed mostly people between the ages of 18 and 42.
The healthiest, most robust people in society; that’s what scared the hell out of the doctors.
Seems we’re all kind of on our own this year. No one seems sure of what to do. I sure don’t. I just hope the flu season will come to an end soon.
My grandfather on my mother’s side of the family died of pneumonia in the early 1940s at the age of 33.
I hope your daughter with the flu gets well very soon.
The viruses don’t emit in dry form; they ride on droplets of fluid. A mask will catch those.
The primary advantage comes in the mask arresting aerosolized droplets, not the virus itself.
Oh my. Just talked to my 88 y.o. mom - putting her on tamiflu tomorrow. She was here when the baby was here. Summer can’t come soon enough for me.
I would like to see the numbers between those who were vaccinated and those who were not. (and who got the flu)
They have it. Show it.
I’m so sorry.
Haven’t seen a reported national death toll but my brother in Dallas said almost 1200 in Texas. I also haven’t seen a why on how the young are dying. CDC has reported 30 kids have died.
The flu in 1918 revved up the immune systems to the point it attacked the patient’s own organ. A cytokine storm. I suspect this is what’s going on this time. It’s treatable if recognized early. Not sure if E.R. docs are thinking that way yet cuz I don’t see it reported much at all. Hope they are.
Had this flu. Started New Years weekend. Not pleasant. GI tract on steroids while being hit by a semi!
Thanks about my daughter. Talked to her for a couple minutes. I'm not sure she has the flu but bronchial something or other. Feels really sick, nausea and possibly other things Temp is 100. Going to a dr tomorrow I'm not sure is the best equipped for such things, nurse-practitioner. Not my call.
She said the hospital is making everyone, nurses, doctors, patients visitors, wear masks.
I hope you can stay well and thanks for the kind words.
My ole pup isn’t leaving the house til May!
That's sounds like H3N2. Bet she'll be just fine in about 7 to 10 days.
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