The Flu Is Definitely Back

The flu has come back in full force. Flu season is high throughout the U.S., and experts expect many more cases to occur in the weeks ahead This year's vaccines appear to be well-tailored to the current circulating flu strains, so they should provide valuable protection against the viral infection.

The latest weekly findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's routine flu program were released on Monday.

The eastern and southern regions of the country have high flu activity based on this data. At this point in the year, the cumulative hospitalization rate is the highest it has been since the flu season of 2011. There have been at least 6 million illnesses, 53,000 hospitalizations, and 2,900 deaths from flu since October, according to the CDC. With a lot of the holidays left to enjoy, these case numbers will only increase.

Lynnette Brammer, an epidemiologist with the CDC, told NBC News that they are likely to see an increase in the number of cases.

The flu has been less common since covid-19 arrived. Last winter's flu season was weird but still milder than usual, as the flu was mostly non-existent during the 2020 to 2021 winter. There are a number of reasons why a windemic featuring the flu and covid-19 didn't happen. It's believed that the disappearance is due to the physical precautions that were taken by many people to limit the spread of covid, which may have helped prevent the flu. Many garden variety infections have returned due to the waned precautions.

The US has seen an earlier peak in infections from the respiratory syncytial virus this year. It can be life threatening for young children and older people if they get a cold. As a result of the surge, many children's hospitals have reported higher levels of RSV-related hospitalizations than usual. Many experts argue that the decline of population immunity alone is enough to explain the surge in the number of children who have been exposed to covid-19.

While many people are still getting sick and dying from covid-19, the threat of a massive surge this winter is low for the time being. The CDC says that this year's vaccine matches up well to the majority of circulating strains of the flu.

Even though this winter won't be as bad as recent ones, we should still take precautions. Staying home when sick or wearing masks in high-risk situations can help limit the spread of flu if you get your updated covid-19 booster and annual flu shot.