Is Flu Season A Different Time Of The Year In Other Parts Of The World
Although the flu virus can be spread at any time, cases spike when temperature and humidity drop. Thats why flu seasons around the world are associated with the colder temperatures.
While in Canada and most of Europe, temperatures generally fall at about the same time as in the United States, this isnt the case everywhere. For example, in countries in the southern hemisphere, such as Australia, Thailand, and South Africa, flu season generally runs from April to October.
Just like in the United States, the exact dates of flu seasons around the world change each year.
Use Medications As Directed
In the absence of complications or risk factors for complications, you do not need prescription medication to treat the flu. However, to relieve the fever and pain, you can take over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen, for example Tylenol®, or ibuprophen, for example Advil®.
Avoid taking medications that contain identical ingredients at the same time. For instance, do not take Tylenol® and Tylenol® Sinus together because both of these medications contain acetaminophen.
In some cases, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication to reduce the duration and severity of your symptoms. This type of medication is more effective when taken at the onset of an infection.
Children and teenagers
If your child is over 3 months old and has a fever, you can give him or her acetaminophen, for example Tylenol®, making sure you follow the instructions that come with the product and based on your childs weight.
Avoid giving children and teenagers acetylsalicylic acid, for example aspirin. This medication could cause a serious brain and liver disease known as Reyes syndrome in children and teenagers who have the flu.
What About The Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine
The nasal spray vaccine, FluMist, is once again being recommended by the CDC for adults and children. In recent flu seasons, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics had recommended flu shots only for kids because of questions about well the spray worked. But the manufacturer appears to have improved the spray, so the CDC and AAP say parents can go either way — shots or spray.
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When Should I Get A Flu Shot
To protect yourself from influenza, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting your yearly flu shot by the end of October.
It is a good idea to get a flu shot before the start of flu season to avoid getting sick with the flu. Even a late flu shot provides protection, especially when a flu season lingers into April or May.
Administering Flu Vaccine During The Covid
Curbside and drive-through vaccination clinics may provide the best option for staff and patient safety during the COVID-19 pandemic in communities with high transmission. Read CDCs guidance on drive-through vaccination clinics.
No. Flu vaccination should be deferred for people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, whether or not they have symptoms, until they have met the criteria to discontinue their isolation. While mild illness is not a contraindication to flu vaccination, vaccination visits for these people should be postponed to avoid exposing healthcare personnel and other patients to the virus that causes COVID-19. When scheduling or confirming appointments for flu vaccination, patients should be instructed to notify the health care professionals office or clinic in advance if they currently have or develop any symptoms of COVID-19.
Flu vaccination should be deferred until a patient is no longer acutely ill. This may be different for patients who are already being cared for in a medical setting than it is for patients who are isolating at home. In a medical setting, the timing for vaccination is a matter of clinical discretion. In general, patients who are isolating at home should wait until they meet criteria for leaving isolation to come to a vaccination setting in order to avoid spreading COVID-19 to others. CDC has guidance for when people can be around others after having COVID-19.
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Flu Activity And Surveillance
The Vermont Department of Health monitors flu activity in the state throughout the year using different surveillance methods and creates a report. This weekly report gives a snapshot of emergency room visit, sentinel provider, lab, and outbreak data. The 2021-2022 flu season began the week of October 3, 2021. Note: In an ordinary season, MMWR week 20 would be the final report of the season. However, because flu continues to circulate in many areas of the country, extended-season reports will be published at least through MMWR week 25.
Influenza surveillance is a collaborative effort among the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, state health departments, health care providers, laboratories, clinics, and emergency departments. Learn more about influenza surveillance in the United States.
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| Overview of the 2018-2019 Flu season | 06/20/2019 |
Please note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discontinued data collection for Geographic Spread in the 2021-22 season.
Influenza data is collected and analyzed each week between October and May by the Vermont Department of Health to determine the estimated level of geographic spread of flu in the state. The current geographic spread can be found in the most recent Weekly Surveillance Report. The geographic spread of influenza activity is defined as follows:
No Activity: No laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza and no reported increase in the number of cases of ILI.
Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Coverage Survey Results 2021
The Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Coverage Survey is conducted every year to collect information on influenza vaccine uptake in Canada. Survey data are used to estimate the percentage of people vaccinated against flu and to describe knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about the flu vaccine and vaccines in general. With the current pandemic context, questions about COVID-19 vaccination were also added to the survey. Data collection took place between January 4 and February 11, 2022.
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A Look At Past Flu Seasons
The strain of the flu that circulates can change from year to year. The flu vaccine is adjusted to try to predict which strain will predominate during the coming flu season.
Here is a look at the flu seasons over the last 10 years:
2018-2019 Flu Season:
2017-2018 Flu Season:
- Most common strain:Influenza A
2016-2017 Flu Season:
- Most common strain:Influenza A
2015-2016 Flu Season:
- Most common strain:2009 H1N1 influenza A
2014-2015 Flu Season:
- Most common strain:Influenza A
2013-2014 Flu Season:
- Most common strain:2009 H1N1 influenza A
2012-2013 Flu Season:
- Most common strain:Influenza A
2011-2012 Flu Season:
- Most common strain:Influenza A
2010-2011 Flu Season:
All Flu Seasons Are Unpredictable
Despite the unique challenges of the 2021 to 2022 flu season, experts stress that every flu season is unique, and theres no cause for alarm just because a flu season is different from previous ones. We have a saying among doctors that if youve seen one influenza season, youve seen one influenza season, Tosh said. Flu seasons are predictably unpredictable.
Nelson echoed similar sentiments: In temperate climates, the influenza season typically begins in the late fall, peaks in February and wanes in April, but there is substantial variability from year to year.
One upside of the current flu season is that hospitals haven’t been inundated the way some feared they would, even though high case rates have lasted longer than usual. Before this season began, we were preparing for an overwhelming number of new cases, Tosh explained. Fortunately, our worst fears never happened. Though were seeing a prolonged number of cases, theres been a lower amplitude overall.
It’s not clear when exactly this flu season will end, but numbers are expected to decline in the coming weeks, Tosh and Nelson agreed.
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Eligibility For 2022 Season Influenza Vaccines
Please note: From 24 May 2022 until 17 July 2022, the Queensland Government will be offering free influenza vaccinations to all Queenslanders over 6 months of age. After 17 July 2022, influenza vaccines will be funded under the National Immunisation Program for the following groups due to their increased risk of complications from influenza:
- all children from 6 months to less than 5 years of age
- all adults aged 65 years and older
- pregnant women
- all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 6 months and over
- individuals aged 6 months and older with medical conditions which increase the risk of influenza disease complications .
All other individuals 5 years or over not included in the categories above can purchase the vaccine from their doctor.
In 2022, all funded influenza vaccines available will be quadrivalent vaccines including the adjuvanted influenza vaccine for adults aged 65 years and older.
Only one government-funded influenza vaccine is available for eligible people each year, with the exception of eligible children up to 9 years of age receiving an influenza vaccine for the first time. These children require and are funded for 2 doses, 4 weeks apart.
Age restrictions apply to all vaccine brands .
Q: How Does The Flu And Covid
A. The flu is caused by influenza viruses and COVID-19 is caused by a new coronavirus . Both the flu and COVID-19 are respiratory illness with some similar symptoms, but they do not share all symptoms. In both cases, children can experience only some of the symptoms associated with each illness. In general, the flu can be more severe than COVID-19 in children. It can be hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone and testing may sometimes be needed to confirm a diagnosis. The CDC keeps on the difference between these virus. It is possible that the flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both be spreading this upcoming flu season, both of which can cause respiratory illness.
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Why Do Some People Not Feel Well Or Feel Like They Have Flu Symptoms After Getting A Flu Vaccine
While a flu vaccine cannot give you the flu, there may be times when you dont feel well after getting your flu vaccine. Heres why:
- You may get some mild and temporary side effects after your flu vaccine, such as soreness or redness where you got your shot, muscle aches, headache or a low fever. These common side effects usually begin soon after you get the vaccine and last 1-2 days. These reactions are a sign that your immune system is working and that your body is building protection against flu.
- You could become sick from other respiratory viruses that are spreading during flu season. A flu vaccine only protects you from the flu, not other illnesses like COVID-19 or the common cold.
- You could encounter flu viruses, which cause the flu, shortly before getting your flu vaccine or during the 2 weeks after getting the vaccine when your body is still building immunity. As a result, you could get the flu before the vaccine has the chance to protect you.
- You could experience flu-like symptoms, even after getting vaccinated, because you were exposed to a flu virus that is very different from the viruses that the vaccine is designed to protect against. There are many different flu viruses that spread and cause illness among people. However, even when the circulating flu viruses are not a perfect match to the strains in the flu vaccine, getting a flu vaccine should still help protect you against serious flu illness and its complications.
Influenza Mortality And Covid
COVID-19 continued to dominate the deaths from pneumonia, influenza, and/or COVID-19 . According to the National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Surveillance System, the weekly percentage of PIC deaths remained above the epidemic threshold set at 1.645 standard deviations above the seasonal baseline during the entire 2021-2022 season.
Of the 387,112 PIC deaths, 71.6% of death certificates listed COVID-19 as an underlying or contributing cause of death and 0.6% listed influenza. These numbers indicate that PIC-related deaths were due primarily to COVID-19, not to influenza.
All 31 laboratory-confirmed influenza-related pediatric deaths reported to CDC were linked with an influenza A virus infection, and all 13 influenza A viruses with subtyping information were identified as A.
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What Should I Do If I Think I Am Getting The Flu
Stay home, rest, and avoid contact with others except to get medical care if needed, experts say. Avoid contact with others for at least 24 hours after the fever subsides to avoid spreading the flu.
Be on the lookout for emergency warning signs that you may be getting serious flu-related complications.
In children, these include:
- Symptoms that improve but then return with a fever and worsening cough.
How Can I Avoid Getting Influenza
Getting an influenza vaccine every year is recommended for everyone aged 6 months or older. People in the above groups are eligible for free flu vaccination each year under the National Immunisation Program.
While not 100% effective, the flu vaccine provides a high level of protection and can reduce symptoms in those still getting sick.
can be co-administered with a flu vaccine. There is no requirement for a time interval between these vaccines.
Wearing a face mask and practicing good hand hygiene can help to reduce your chances of catching the flu or passing it on to others.
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National Influenza Surveillance Scheme
This paper provides a comprehensive summary and analysis of the National Influenza Surveillance Scheme, including surveillance systems that function outside of the Scheme, in 2015. The Scheme is coordinated by the Australian Government Department of Health and supported by a number of surveillance systems that aim to be nationally representative and monitor important aspects of severity, incidence and virology. Influenza activity monitored through its systems is presented in reports available on this page. Several jurisdictionally based surveillance systems that operate outside of the Scheme are used to inform local influenza activity trends. This paper describes the strengths and limitations of these influenza surveillance systems in terms of the aspects of influenza activity that they inform and their contribution to the overall monitoring of influenza activity in Australia.
When Can I Get A Flu Vaccine
The flu vaccine is usually available in early September at doctors offices and drugstores. Dr. Perkins advises her patients to get the vaccine as soon as becomes available, although its never really too late. You definitely want to get it before the peak of the season, but you can get it as late January or February, she says. Just remember that your immune system has to have time to learn how to mount a responsethat could be a few days or more than a week to be most effective.
According to Dr. Bhuyan, usually about 45 percent of adults get the flu vaccine. If we can get that number above 80 percent , it would dramatically reduce the number of flu cases we see this season, she says.
Ultimately, it’s important to remember that even though COVID-19 measures may help you to be better protected, we cant forget that the flu can also be deadly and its always better to be safe than sorry. If there is one message about the flu I hope the public hears: everyone needs to get the flu vaccine this season, says Dr. Bhuyan.
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How Do Experts Decide What To Put Into The Flu Vaccine
During flu season, experts study samples of the viruses circulating to find out how well the vaccine protected against those viruses. They use that information to help make their decision for the next one.
In general, vaccines work better against influenza B and influenza A viruses than they do against influenza A viruses.
Where To Get A Flu Vaccination
Flu vaccines are available at many locations, particularly in health-related institutions, such as doctors offices, clinics, health departments, and pharmacies.
Some schools will also facilitate a flu vaccination program to prevent a school-wide influenza outbreak. This broad level of availability means even children who do not have a regular doctor can get protection from influenza.
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What Is Seasonal Influenza
Seasonal influenza, also known as the flu, is an illness that causes fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches. It is usually spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing. Flu season in Ohio can begin as early as October and run as late as March. However, it is not uncommon for sporadic cases to appear all year long.
Most people who get the flu usually recover in one to two weeks, but the flu can be deadly. An estimated 200,000 people are hospitalized with the flu each year in the U.S. On average, it is estimated that there are more than 20,000 flu related deaths many of which could have been prevented with a flu vaccine.
Flu vaccines are designed to protect against the influenza viruses that experts predict will be the most common during the upcoming season. There are three kinds of influenza viruses commonly circulate among people today which include: Influenza A viruses, Influenza A viruses, and Influenza B viruses. Each year, these viruses are used to produce seasonal influenza vaccine.
Influenza Vaccine Composition for the 202122 Season
Influenza vaccines expected to be available in the United States for the 202122 season will be quadrivalent vaccines. For the 202122 season, U.S. egg-based influenza vaccines will contain HA derived from
For the 202122 season, U.S. cell culturebased inactivated and recombinant influenza vaccines will contain HA derived from
What About Influenza Complications
In some cases of the flu, severe illness and complications can develop. This can result in hospitalisation and even death.
The flu can also make some existing medical conditions worse.
In Victoria, flu vaccination is free for people with a higher risk of severe complications associated with the flu:
- children aged 6 months to less than 5 years
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from 6 months and over
- pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy
- people 65 years and over
- people aged 6 months and older with medical conditions putting them at higher risk of severe flu and its complications:
- cardiac disease
- children aged 6 months to 10 years on long term aspirin therapy.
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