Don’t Forget About the Flu

Increased risk and decreased attention seem to be caused by the COVID Pandemic. The last two years have seen a dramatic decrease in the severity of the flu.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that it had logged 1,316 positive flu cases in its surveillance network between September 2020 and the end of January 2021. During that same period last year, the CDC had recorded nearly 130,000 cases.

There were still historically low flu cases last year. The reason for the decrease in flu cases is likely due to the use of masking and social distance. The flu and other respiratory infections are back in full force.

Immunity debt is the reason for this. Our immune systems respond to a challenge with an immediate immune response but also with long-term immunity. Memory B-cells that produce antibodies with fine-tuned affinity for the infecting agent can have a robust response on later exposure.

Immune system fades over time depending on the type of organisms and degree of initial immune reaction. Good life-long immunity can be provided by certain vaccines. After only a few months, the flu's immunity fades. Some of the immune cells are short lived. Immunity may last for a long time. There is evidence that the yearly flu vaccine reduces mortality from the flu in older adults. The flu strains don't get immunity prior to some extent.

Exposure to the flu every year, even if you don't get the flu, may give you a boost in immunity. The immunity debt is missing if the general population has gone two years without exposure to the flu. Kids who have never been exposed to the flu are now included.

Experts think the flu season will be worse than usual. Early cases are usually worse than average. A bad flu season, a spike in COVID cases, and a bad season for respiratory Viruses are all possible reasons for a tripledemic.

Getting vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others. Get your annual flu vaccine as soon as possible if you haven't already had it. The flu season isn't too late as it's likely to last for months You need to get a flu vaccine. It's reasonable to spread them out over a few days to limit the effects.

Despite the fact that we are facing a worse flu season, vaccine usage is down. At the same time last year, the CDC says we gave about 5 million fewer doses. It is difficult to understand why aggregate behavior changes. We don't know why fewer flu vaccines are being given this year.

It's possible that we're seeing the effects of the flu. While people are tired of having their life disrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic, they still care about public health concerns. The regular-old flu doesn't get a lot of attention. The recent flu seasons that were minimal may be to blame.

Don't forget about the flu, that's the message This is a serious disease. Between 52,000 and 12,000 deaths are caused by the flu in the US alone, and between 294,000 and 518,000 deaths worldwide. It causes more hospitalizations than anything else. The total hospital burden of a tripledemic is a real worry.

You need to get a flu vaccine. Basic preventative care and health maintenance includes this. We will need to get at least an annual COVID booster as COVID is slipping into an endemic illness. routine care now includes this.

• Steven Novella is the founder and currently Executive Editor of Science-Based Medicine. The Great Courses and The Skeptics Guide to the Universe were both written by Dr. Novella.

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