Early arrival: Flu season is here ahead of schedule

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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the “official start” to the 2019-2020 flu season, its earliest start in more than 15 years.

The government agency deems the season has arrived after a certain and “significant” percentage of patients’ complaints during doctor visits are for flu-like symptoms.

Per the CDC’s early report, the flu is already responsible for 1.7 million illnesses in the US, accountable for 16,000 hospitalizations and 900 deaths.

Still time for a flu shot?

While the CDC recommends getting an annual flu shot before the end of October (in order to allow the vaccine enough time to build flu-fighting antibodies), but add that getting the vaccine later still offers a level of protection.

Even if the patient delays getting the vaccine until after the flu season is already underway – as late as the end of January – they can still benefit.

Will the flu be bad this season?

The 2019-2020 flu season arriving early has experts split on whether or not this indicates if this flu season will be particularly bad.

While some say it’s still too early to determine this flu season’s severity, others point to the 2003-2004 flu season – the last to start this early – which was notable for its severity.

By comparison, last flu season (2018-2019) began very mildly but lasted longer than any season in the past decade and was responsible for the deaths of more than 60,000 patients and 810,000 hospitalizations.

Common flu symptoms

Fever (or feverish feelings/chills)
Cough
Sore throat
Runny or stuffy nose
Body aches
Headaches
Fatigue
Vomiting and diarrhea (mainly in children and older adults)

How long will the flu shot last?

The flu shot will protect throughout the current flu season, which typically last through the winter and into the beginning of spring in March and April.

Flu vaccinations are seasonal, based on the flu strain researchers forecast for that season, and developed months in advance.

Though some may criticize the shot for not being 100 percent effective against that flu season’s particular strain, McLaren Macomb infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Ognjan and his colleagues still strongly recommend the vaccine as even partial protection is better than none.

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