Who Should Get A Flu Shot
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual influenza vaccination for everyone 6 months and older. Flu vaccination is especially important for adults 65 years and older, who account for most hospitalizations and deaths from flu. High dose flu shots are recommended for adults age 65 and over.
High-dose flu shots are recommended for adults age 65 and over. High-dose flu vaccines will be available at any Michigan Medicines regional flu clinics and at Michigan Medicine health centers. No special scheduling request is necessary beyond the standard flu shot appointment.
A Massive University Of Michigan Flu Outbreak Has Prompted A Cdc Investigation
A massive flu outbreak at the University of Michigan has caught the attention of public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . The CDC sent investigators to the Ann Arbor campus this week to learn about the dynamics of the outbreak as the U.S. enters its second flu season in the COVID-19 pandemic era.
The first positive test was on October 6, according to the colleges newspaper The University Record. Since then, 528 cases have been diagnosed by the University Health Service on campus, with a large upswing over the past two weeks. During the week of November 1, UHS diagnosed 198 new cases, with 27% of all tests performed coming back positive. The week of November 8, there were 313 new cases, and the positive test rate increased to 37%.
Its normal for cases of the flu to start going up as early as Octoberwith flu activity typically peaking between December and February, per the CDCbut an outbreak of this size so early in flu season is concerning. While we often start to see some flu activity now, the size of this outbreak is unusual, Juan Luis Marquez, M.D., M.P.H., medical director of the Washtenaw County Health Department , told The University Record. Experts worry about what it could indicate more broadly for the upcoming flu season. This outbreak doesnt necessarily have an immediate impact on the broader local community, but it does raise concerns about what the flu season may bring, Dr. Marquez explained.
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Return Of The Flu: Activity Increasing In Michigan
Though the seasonal flu was relatively nonexistent last winter, early reports from federal and state health officials indicate the flu has returned and activity is beginning to increase in Michigan.
As of the end of November, theres been an uptick in flu cases in Michigan. Most cases have been among young adults and children, according to the state health department. Health officials are investigating an outbreak of the flu at the University of Michigans Ann Arbor campus, where more than 500 cases of the flu were diagnosed from October to November.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider influenza-like illnesses to be spreading in Michigan. Cases of influenza-like illnesses reported so far this fall appear to be tracking at the same rate as a regular flu season.
Due to multiple precautionary measures taken during the fall and winter of 2020 including virtual learning, remote work, mask wearing and social distancing, cases of the flu dropped to historically low levels.
This year, it appears the flu has returned to more regular activity and particularly poses a higher risk of complications from the flu for adults age 65 and older, as well as adults with chronic health conditions including asthma, heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.
Not everyone presents the same, but these are some common symptoms:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Vomiting and diarrhea
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Protect yourself and the people around you, and help reduce the strain on your communitys healthcare systems by getting your flu shot.
Getting a flu vaccine is an essential part of protecting your health and your familys health.
Flu shots may be even more important this year, as many communities continue to see community spread of COVID-19.
The symptoms of flu and COVID-19 are similar, and clinics may experience higher demand for flu symptom evaluation if we have a bad flu season during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flu shots not only prevent many cases of influenza, but also decrease the severity of illness for someone who is vaccinated but still develops the flu.
Learn about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment for the flu.
Q: When Does The Flu Season Start In Wisconsin And How Long Does It Last
A: The influenza season got an early start this year in Dane County mid-August, according to Public Health Madison and Dane County.
Typically, the influenza season in the United States starts as early as October and can go through May, with its peak between December and February, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Between mid-August and early October, there had already been five flu-related hospitalizations in Dane County. Last season, there were 337 hospitalizations.
The flu, a respiratory disease, is spread from person to person when droplets of moisture from an infected person spread through the air by coughing, sneezing or talking, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Symptoms include a fever, chills, a cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue.
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Influenza Vaccination Data Kalamazoo County And Michigan
This dashboard provides data for the number of influenza vaccinations given by age group and influenza season at the state and county levels. To find data for Kalamazoo County, go to the tab labeled COVERAGE BY COUNTY and select Kalamazoo under the county drop down options. To see the vaccination rate for a particular age group, select the age group of interest under the Age Group drop down options.
The tab labeled DOSES BY COUNTY shows the number of influenza vaccine doses administered by vaccine type and provider facility type by county.
Michigan Influenza Dashboard Updated once weekly on Mondays
Keeping Our Patients Safe From The Flu
Michigan Medicine has joined dozens of health care institutions throughout the country in requiring staff to be vaccinated against flu or to wear a protective mask during any patient interaction during flu season. The requirement is designed to help protect the health of our patients and their families and will especially protect the many people we care for who have serious medical conditions and weakened immune systems.
FOR EMPLOYEES: Please visit our employee flu prevention site for more details for more information about our employee flu shot policy and upcoming employee flu shot clinics.
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When Does The Flu Season Really End
Health officials all over the country are reporting that this years flu season has been, and will continue to be a rough one. The Government of Canada issues weekly FluWatch reports letting citizens know the most up-to-date information.
When does the flu season really end?
According to Public Health Ontario, symptoms of influenza start to resurge between the months of November and April basically from the late fall till early spring. Peak flu season is from December through February. However, based on the Week 1 FluWatch report , different strains of the flu emerge at different times during the season. For example, the less severe influenza B has been reported much earlier than it has been in previous years.
This years concerns are less about how long the flu season will be and more about the severity of the cases. In the Government of Canadas Week 1 report, it states that there have been many lab confirmations, hospitalizations, and even deaths among patients who are age 65 or older. Widespread influenza activity has been reported in north-western and southern Ontario, southern British Columbia, Southern Quebec, Prince Edward Island, and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, with localized and sporadic cases occurring across the country.
Myths and facts about flu season
Yes, there is a flu season and this is the time when youre more likely to contract influenza. However, you can actually get the flu all year round but your chances are much lower.
Health & Wellnessus Health Experts Urge Flu Shots To Avoid Twindemic
The flu may seem like a minor illness, and for many otherwise healthy adults it is. But certain groups of people have a higher risk for developing severe complications due to the flu. That includes people with some underlying health conditions as well as those over the age of 65, pregnant people and kids under the age of 2, the CDC said.
As with COVID-19, the best way to protect yourself and those around you from the flu is with vaccination. And the CDC recently announced that most people can safely get both a COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine at the same appointment.
Ideally, we should all be following CDC recommendations and common-sense health practices, Javaid explained. Of course, that means getting vaccinated. But it also means staying home when you’re feeling sick, continuing to wear masks in high-risk environments, washing your hands frequently and getting tested potentially for both flu and COVID-19 if you start to feel symptoms.
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Whats The Difference Between Influenza A And B
Influenza A and B are the two primary strains of the virus that cause illness in humans. They both cause classic flu symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, chills, body aches and fatigue, and its nearly impossible to tell which one you have without a lab test, Brammer says. Influenza A viruses are the only type known to cause pandemics, because they change rapidly and affect both humans and animals. Influenza B is slower-adapting and typically present only in humans.
Within each type, there are further subcategories. Influenza A subtypes are categorized by the combination of proteins on the virus surface the two most common in humans are H1N1 and H3N2. Influenza B, meanwhile, is divided into two lineages, Victoria and Yamagata.
So far this season, influenza B Victoria viruses have caused the most lab-confirmed flu diagnoses, followed by influenza A H1N1 viruses, according to CDC data. Both of those strains are known to primarily affect children and younger adults, rather than the elderly, Brammer says. Since older adults account for most flu deaths each year, that breakdown explains why lots of people have gotten sick with the flu but a relatively small portion have been hospitalized or died . By contrast, about 61,000 people died during the 2018-2019 flu season.
Who Explains Why The Coronavirus Pandemic Is About To Get Even Worse
- There might not be a coronavirus vaccine yet, but its incredibly important to get a flu shot this year. The influenza season will overlap with the COVID-19 pandemic, making matters even worse.
- The World Health Organization made it clear during a news conference that COVID-19 pandemic is one big wave, not a seasonal disease like the flu.
- Without containing COVID-19 first, countries may run into problems battling both the novel coronavirus and the flu.
- The WHO advises people to seek flu vaccines as the flu season gets underway during the southern hemispheres winter.
The novel coronavirus pandemic is very much out of control, as the world is experiencing a massive surge in cases. Some regions have successfully flattened the curve, while others are currently going through surges that are even worse than the April peaks. Some refer to the resurgence as a second peak of the first COVID-19 wave, while others call it a second wave. But no matter what you call it, its clear the virus doesnt care about the season.
The World Health Organization just gave the world the worst possible news about COVID-19 ahead of the incoming flu season. The pandemic is one big wave, its not seasonal. And that could be a big problem in the coming months, as the flu cases start piling up on top of COVID-19.
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You Still Have Time To Get Your Flu Vaccine
The CDC typically recommends that adults get their flu shots by the end of October each year. But if you missed that deadline, it’s still a good idea to get vaccinated. Although the flu season usually peaks in the late fall and winter, it can last into the spring which means getting vaccinated now will still provide protection for the coming months.
Flu Activity Is Low In The Us Right Now But Increasing
Last year’s flu season was unusually mild, likely due to a multitude of factors include the adoption of COVID-19 prevention strategies such as masks, hand-washing and social distancing. But it’s not clear yet whether or not this season will follow a similar pattern. With COVID-19 vaccines available now, many areas of the country have forgone the coronavirus mitigation strategies that were common last flu season.
During the week ending in Nov. 6, the most recent week for which CDC data are available, seasonal flu activity was low. There was only one jurisdiction in which flu-like activity which may include instances of respiratory syncytial virus and other respiratory illnesses was considered high and one where flu activity was moderate .
But it wasn’t just masks and distancing that factored into last year’s drastic drop in flu cases higher than usual vaccination rates also played a role, the CDC explained. This season, however, early data indicate that vaccination rates are lagging among children and pregnant people, some of those most vulnerable to severe flu. In fact, more than 90% of flu cases detected so far this season are among children and young adults, the CDC said, and most are H3N2.
When it comes to what flu season might hold this year, it’s “still not a very clear picture,” Dr. Waleed Javaid, director of infection prevention and control at Mount Sinai Downtown in New York, told TODAY. “It’s not clear which direction the flu season is going to go.”
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Michigan Seeing Rise In Cold And Flu As Physicians Consider Longer Sick Season
Physicians remind residents of the importance of washing your hands and screening for symptoms as more cases of influenza and other seasonal illnesses pop up following the ditching of community masking. Cory Morse | MLive.com
Michigans cold and flu season typically begins its wind down in April as the weather begins to warm and residents open their windows and get outside more.
However at least a few health officials think this years season might stretch a little later into the spring as theyve seen an uptick in non-COVID illness following the communitys ditching of mask requirements.
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Michigans Flu Season Turns Deadly Early With Some Clinics Short On Vaccine
A 69-year-old Oakland County man has died from the flu becoming an early and apparently first death of the Michigan flu season, even as overall flu cases remain sporadic.
The death, announced Thursday by the Oakland County Health Division, comes as health officials campaign for more residents to get vaccines, and as pockets of Michigan struggle to get enough shots to meet demand.
The shortage has forced some county departments, including Oakland Countys, to postpone or cancel clinics, while other providers say they have plenty in stock even as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that consumers were vaccinated by Oct. 31.
In some cases, retailers may have one kind of vaccine, but theyre struggling to build stock in another.
It seems to be a lag behind where we usually are. pushed back shipping dates, so thats pushed back our ability to have them on hand for consumers, said Ruth Manier, director of community health services at Dickinson-Iron District Health Department in Michigans Upper Peninsula.
Her department has already cancelled six clinics and postponed several others, she said.
The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department also has struggled to get enough doses of vaccines that protect the general public and a high-dose version for seniors, said Cari DiGiorgio, the departments public health director.
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When Does Flu Season Start And End
As warm weather approaches, the last thing people want to think about is viruses. But when it comes to the influenza, there’s good news: flu season is coming to an end!
Flu season is a term that describes the months when influenza cases are the highest like any virus, the number of infected people tends to ebb and flow in a relatively predictable pattern each year. Keep reading to learn when flu season starts and ends, and how to keep yourself and your family healthy this year.
Where The Flu Season Stands Right Now
CDC’s data shows that for the week ending in Feb. 12, 1,324 new influenza cases were reported by clinical laboratories, down from 1,506 cases the week before, and down from a peak of 6,894 for the week ending in Dec. 25, 2021.
However, while cases have been dropping steadily since the week ending Jan. 1, influenza hospitalizations reported to HHS have risen recently.
According to CDC data, influenza hospitalizations peaked at 2,616 during the week ending Jan. 1 and began declining over the following four weeks. However, hospitalizations rose from 785 for the week ending Jan. 29 to 993 for the week ending Feb. 5, and 1,073 for the week ending Feb. 12.
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