How Many People Had The Flu In 2019
The CDC forecasts that the 2019-2020 flu season had a moderate disease burden, with an anticipated 38 million individuals sick with the flu, 18 million visits to a health care provider for flu, 400,000 flu hospitalizations, and 22,000 flu fatalities . In addition, the 2020-2021 season is expected to be another moderately severe season.
In 2018-2019, the most recent season for which data are available, an estimated 35.6 million Americans were sick with the flu and 1.6 million required medical attention because of it. Of those hospitalized for the flu, about 48,000 were children younger than 5 years old and about 900 died from its effects.
The 2017-2018 season was another highly active one, with estimates showing that up to 50 million Americans were infected by the virus. The highest number of hospitalizations due to the flu since 2001 occurred that year. At least 3,849 people died from the flu that season.
The 2016-2017 season was another relatively high activity one, with estimates showing that up to 40 million Americans were infected by the virus. At least 497 people died from the flu that season.
The 2015-2016 season was another moderately high activity one, with estimates showing that up to 20 million Americans were infected by the virus.
How Can You Prevent The Flu
The most effective way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccine every year. Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine. It makes it less likely that you will get the flu. It also reduces your chances of being hospitalized or dying if you do get sick with the flu.
In addition to getting your flu vaccine, you can help stop the spread of flu by:
- Washing your hands
- Covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze
- Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
- Staying home when you are sick
- Avoiding close contact with people who are sick
- Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces at home, work, or school
/5can You Catch Flu More Than Once In A Flu Season
The sudden rise in the number of flu cases has alarmed people around the world. Just as the COVID-19 cases witnessed a deep plunge, the flu and other respiratory illnesses have wreaked more havoc than ever. Amid such chaos, experts and medical professionals continue to urge people to get their flu shots. Given the circumstances and considering how virulent the influenza virus has gotten currently, there’s a high chance you could get the flu twice in one season.
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/5you May Catch The Flu Twice In A Row Here’s Why
Apart from the fact that you may contract the flu infection, there’s a high chance you may get it twice in a row. Why is it so? Let us find out.
There are four different types of the flu namely influenza A, B, C, and D. Influenza type A and B are the seasonal flu that arises during a particular season. Once you get infected with any of the two strains, you’re likely to develop antibodies against it and the possibility of re-infection with the same virus may be low.
However, you can get infected with a different strain of influenza, and the antibodies you developed from the first infection may not provide you protection against the other strains.
While two flu outbreaks overlap one another, raising your possibilities of catching the flu infection twice, the chances of you catching the flu virus twice may still be rare.
What Can You Do If You Get The Flu
If you get the flu, there are steps you can take to feel better. Act fast! First, talk with a health care provider. The flu and COVID-19 have similar symptoms, so you may need to get tested for an accurate diagnosis. This will also help determine which medications might make you feel better.
There are prescription drugs, called antivirals, that are used to treat people with the flu. If you take them within 48 hours after flu symptoms begin, these drugs can make you feel better more quickly. Antivirals can also help reduce your risk of complications from flu. Antibiotics do not help you recover from the flu. However, they are sometimes prescribed to treat a secondary infection if it is caused by bacteria. Bacteria are a different type of germ than viruses.
If you are sick, rest and like juice and water, but not alcohol. Over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, can bring down your fever and might help with the aches and pains.
It is important not to smoke if you are sick with the flu. It is a respiratory illness that can infect your lungs as well as your nasal passages. These same areas are also affected by smoking.
Monitor your symptoms and talk with a health care provider if you start feeling worse. For example, contact your provider right away if you:
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Is There A Difference Between Covid
Were often asked if flu symptoms in children are different than in adults. And this has become one of the most common questions about COVID-19.
Generally speaking, COVID-19 symptoms and influenza symptoms are the same for men and women young or old. However, those with severe underlying medical conditions seem to be at higher risk for more serious complications. Also, there are a couple things to note when it comes to COVID-19 symptoms in children.
Gastrointestinal issues are more common in kids
For both COVID-19 and the flu, when vomiting, nausea or diarrhea happens, its usually more common in children than adults. This also means that the risk of dehydration can increase. So, parents should watch for signs of dehydration such as dry mouth, no tears when crying, or no urine for 8 or more hours.
COVID-19 has been linked to another condition in kids
When it comes to COVID-19, adults make up most of the known cases to date. However, some children have developed whats called multisystem inflammatory syndrome . MIS-C is a condition where different parts of the body become inflamed. So, in addition to common COVID-19 and flu symptoms like fever, fatigue, vomiting or diarrhea, other symptoms can include abdominal pain, neck pain, rash and bloodshot eyes.
Is It True That Getting Vaccinated Repeatedly Can Reduce Vaccine Effectiveness
A report examining studies from the 2010-2011 to the 2014-2015 seasons concluded that the effectiveness of a flu vaccine may be influenced by vaccination the prior season or during many prior seasons . In some seasons, protection against influenza A virus illness may have been lower for people vaccinated in the current season and the prior season compared with those who had only been vaccinated in the current season. This fits with findings on immune response to vaccination that suggest repeated influenza vaccination can weaken the immune response to vaccination and especially to the H3N2 vaccine component. However, repeated annual vaccination also can be beneficial during some seasons, since sometimes people retain and carry over immune protection from one season to the next. During some seasons, people who missed getting vaccinated still had residual protection against influenza illness.
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Coronavirus + Flu = Flurona: Should You Be Worried About It
Its been dubbed flurona: when a person is infected with the influenza virus and the Covid-19 coronavirus, either simultaneously or back-to-back. Cases are being reported around the globe, and experts say they are likely to grow as the more contagious omicron variant becomes more prevalent. The phenomenon, however, isnt exactly new. Reports of such co-infections go back to early 2020.
1. Why is this getting attention now?
At a time when the world is bracing for every new twist in the pandemic, its understandable that the prospect of getting Covid and the flu at the same time is causing some people anxiety. And its no surprise that examples of this are emerging, given omicrons remarkable spread and the fact that, with societies a lot more open than a year ago, the flu is staging a comeback after practically disappearing amid last years lockdowns and heightened focus on hygiene.
2. Should I be worried?
3. Whats the effect of getting two infections at once?
4. Is the flu back in full force?
5. Where is flurona being reported?
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
People At Higher Risk Of Flu Complications
Getting an annual flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from flu.
If you are at higher risk of developing serious flu complications, flu vaccination is especially important. When you get vaccinated, you reduce your risk of getting sick with flu and possibly being hospitalized or dying from flu.
- people icon
Following is a list of all the health and age factors that are known to increase a persons risk of getting serious complications from flu:
- Adults 65 years and older
- Children younger than 2 years old1
- Asthma
- Blood disorders
- Chronic lung disease
- Endocrine disorders
- Heart disease
- Kidney diseases
- Metabolic disorders
- People who are obese with a body mass index of 40 or higher
- People younger than 19 years old on long-term aspirin- or salicylate-containing medications.
- People with a weakened immune system due to disease or medications
- People who have had a stroke
Other people at higher risk from flu:
Information on groups at higher risk from COVID-19 is available.
- Legal materials related to flu.
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Flu Or Food Poisoning
There are many types of viruses, and some can affect the digestive system. People sometimes call this stomach flu. This illness is different from influenza, which is a respiratory disease.
The most common cause of stomach flu is the norovirus, which enters the body through contaminated food or drink. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Food poisoning causes similar symptoms.
Is it a stomach virus or food poisoning? Find out here.
What Are Factors That Influence How Well Flu Vaccines Work
How well flu vaccines work can vary from season to season. Protection can vary depending on who is being vaccinated. At least two factors play an important role in determining the likelihood that vaccination will protect a person from flu illness: 1) characteristics of the person being vaccinated , and 2) how well the vaccines match the flu viruses spreading in the community. When flu vaccines are not well matched to one or more circulating influenza viruses, it is possible that vaccination may provide little or no protection from illness caused by those viruses, but still provide protection against other flu viruses that circulate during the season. When there is a good match between flu vaccines and circulating viruses, vaccination provides substantial benefits by preventing flu illness and complications.
Each flu season, researchers try to determine how well flu vaccines work as a public health intervention. Estimates of how well a flu vaccine works can vary based on study design, outcome measured, population studied and type of flu vaccine. Differences between studies must be considered when results are compared.
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How Does Cdc Measure How Well The Vaccine Works
Scientists continue to work on better ways to design, conduct and evaluate non-randomized studies to assess how well flu vaccines work. CDC has been working with researchers at universities and hospitals since the 2003-2004 flu season to estimate how well flu vaccine works through observational studies using laboratory-confirmed flu as the outcome. These studies currently use a very accurate and sensitive laboratory test known as real-time RT-PCR to confirm medically attended flu virus infections as a specific outcome. CDCs studies are conducted in sites located across the United States to gather data that accurately represents people and conditions across the country. To assess how well the vaccine works across different age groups, CDCs studies of flu vaccine effects have included all people aged 6 months and older recommended for an annual flu vaccination. Similar studies are being done in Australia, Canada and Europe.
- Baylor Scott and White Health
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- HealthPartners
- Intermountain Healthcare
- Kaiser Permanente Northern California
- Kaiser Permanente Northwest
- Regenstrief Institute
- University of Colorado .
How Do I Know The Flu Vaccine Is Safe And Will Be Effective
Flu vaccines have been around for over 60 years and been safely given to millions of people around the world. Every year, national medicines regulatory authorities carefully examine each flu vaccine before it is licensed, and systems are in place to monitor and investigate reports of adverse effects following immunization. Although there are occasionally side effects, these are very rare and not normally severe. The flu vaccine is the best tool we have for preventing the disease and reducing the risk of serious complications and even death.
In order to provide an optimum level of protection, flu vaccines are updated annually based on the observations of scientists monitoring virus strains in circulation earlier that year. Exactly how effective these vaccines are depends on a number of factors, including your age, current health and the strains of the virus that actually end up in circulation over the winter period. Even so, we would typically expect you be around 60% protected from flu after 2 weeks of having been vaccinated .
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Us Offers Extra Monkeypox Vaccine Doses For Gay Pride Events Ctv News
NEW YORK
The U.S. is setting aside an extra 50,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine for places with upcoming gay pride events, health officials said Thursday.
The number of doses sent to each place will be based on factors like the size of the event, how many health workers will be available to give shots, and how many of the attendees are considered at highest risk for catching the virus.
More shots in arms is how we get the outbreak under control, Bob Fenton, the White House monkey pox response coordinator, told reporters Thursday. He said the effort is an attempt to meet people where they are.
At least a dozen U.S. pride events are scheduled over the next two months, including large gatherings in Atlanta and New Orleans in early September. U.S. officials said they will send up to 2,000 additional doses to North Carolina, where the Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade will be held this weekend.
Southern Decadence, one of the nations largest LGBTQ events, is expected to attract 200,000 or more people to New Orleans over Labour Day weekend. The Bourbon Street Extravaganza, a free concert held amid the event, has been cancelled over monkey pox concerns, organizers said this week.
Frank Perez, a former grand marshal of the parade thats the centrepiece of Southern Decadence, said a number of New Orleans gay bars have already had vaccine events. He said so far officials have done an adequate job with the vaccine campaign although more is better.
How Is The Flu Diagnosed
Often, how a child looks is enough for health care providers to diagnose the flu. Kids who have it usually look ill and miserable.
Other infections can cause symptoms similar to the flu. So if health care providers need to be sure that someone has influenza, they might do a test. They’ll take a sample of mucus by wiping a long cotton swab inside the nose or throat. Results might be ready quickly, or can take longer if the test is sent to a lab.
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Avoid Catching The Flu
‘Tis the season for flu, that is. Thats why it is extremely important to follow these ten rules to ensure optimal health for you and your family.
Rule 1: Avoid crowds.
Sometimes it is possible, sometimes it is not. If I could feed my family without venturing to the grocery store, believe me, I would. Likewise, if I didnt need to fly on airplanes, I would cross them off my list also. But sometimes it just isnt possible. When given the option, if you know the flu is circulating, avoid crowded places to lower the chance that you will come into contact with the virus responsible for making you sick.
Rule 2: Wash your hands.
With cold and flu season upon us, a great habit to become obsessed with is hand washing. Most viruses that cause colds and the flu are spread by direct contact. That means someone sneezes into their hand and then touches something that you then come into contact with. Maybe its a door, a phone, a computer keyboard, or the armchair rest, but that germ has settled on that spot and can live there for hours until the next person comes along and picks it up.
Wash your hands often to avoid picking up and spreading germs, and if a sink isnt available, carry hand sanitizer with you and use that.
Rule 3: Use tissues to catch sneezes and coughs.
Rule 4: Dont touch your face.
It is common for the cold or flu virus to enter the body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. This is particularly true with kids, and its a key way they pass those germs along to others.
Why Are There So Many Different Outcomes For Vaccine Effectiveness Studies
Vaccine effectiveness studies that measure different outcomes are conducted to better understand the different kinds of benefits provided by vaccination. Ideally, public health researchers want to evaluate the benefits of vaccination against illness of varying severity. To do this, they assess how well flu vaccines work to prevent illness resulting in a doctor visit, or illness resulting in hospitalization, ICU admission, and even death associated with flu. Because estimates of vaccine effectiveness may vary based on the outcome measured , results should be compared between studies that used the same outcome for estimating vaccine effectiveness.
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