Flu Season- 2019-20

by **ReadyMom** Sat Jun 22, 2019 10:12 am

Putting this here, (in 'National News), because what happens in Australia come to America during our own flu cycle. So, this could be carried into our own 2019-20 flu season!

Flu outbreak ravaging Australia is on its way to the UK
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7167415/Flu-outbreak-battering-Australia-way-UK-experts-fear.html

by rick1 Fri Sep 20, 2019 2:51 pm

CDC updates and recommendations for the upcoming flu season:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2019-2020.htm

by Cinnamon Fri Sep 20, 2019 5:28 pm

I know this is a minor thing, but I noticed something the last two years. Where we shop offers sanitizing wipes for the carts. Instead of just wiping down the handle, I wipe down the whole top side of the cart, around the top of basket. Since I started doing that, I've not been sick. I used to get a cold once or twice a winter. Haven't had one for 2 years.

by **ReadyMom** Wed Oct 09, 2019 5:22 pm

Hat Tip to John West, over at his Daily Big Threats Blog:

2019 flu season will be deadlier — here's why
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/464878-why-this-flu-season-will-be-deadlier

This year promises to be a particularly bad flu season. We look to Australia to predict what will happen here, since their winter — flu season — is our summer. Australia was hit particularly hard this year; with more than 300,000 confirmed cases and a severe form of Influenza A H3N2 predominating.

Last year, also a bad flu season, there were more than 500,000 hospitalizations from flu in the U.S., with more than 50,000 deaths. This year looks like it could be worse.

by TRex2 Fri Oct 11, 2019 2:55 pm

Cinnamon wrote:I know this is a minor thing, but I noticed something the last two years. Where we shop offers sanitizing wipes for the carts. Instead of just wiping down the handle, I wipe down the whole top side of the cart, around the top of basket. Since I started doing that, I've not been sick. I used to get a cold once or twice a winter. Haven't had one for 2 years.

I don't know if that is why you haven't been sick, but it IS a good idea. I know I often touch all of the top parts of the cart, and not just the handle.

ReadyMom wrote: Hat Tip to John West, over at his Daily Big Threats Blog:
2019 flu season will be deadlier — here's why
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/464878-why-this-flu-season-will-be-deadlier
This year promises to be a particularly bad flu season. We look to Australia to predict what will happen here, since their winter — flu season — is our summer. Australia was hit particularly hard this year; with more than 300,000 confirmed cases and a severe form of Influenza A H3N2 predominating.
Last year, also a bad flu season, there were more than 500,000 hospitalizations from flu in the U.S., with more than 50,000 deaths. This year looks like it could be worse.

I didn't realize they considered last year "bad."
I expected much worse.

by **ReadyMom** Sat Oct 19, 2019 9:45 am

With severe flu season potentially on horizon, doctors are urging patients to get flu shots now
https://www.foxnews.com/health/severe-flue-season-doctors-urge-patients-to-get-their-flu-shots-now

“With the flu season starting earlier in Australia, and us already seeing cases of confirmed flu even in September, it's worth getting your flu shot now and ideally before Halloween,” Dr. Ali Raja, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Fox News.

by **ReadyMom** Wed Dec 04, 2019 10:34 am

Hat Tip to John West, over at his blog "Daily Big Threats":

US flu activity rises again as study highlights H1N1 severity
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2019/12/us-flu-activity-rises-again-study-highlights-h1n1-severity

Flu activity in the United States rose again, with more states reporting widespread levels, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Nov 29 in its latest weekly report.

Meanwhile, a study out of Australia demonstrates more severity from the H1N1 flu strain compared with H3N2 in hospitalized patients. ---CONTINUED---

by **ReadyMom** Wed Dec 04, 2019 10:38 am

Hat Tip to John West, over at his blog "Daily Big Threats":

Flu Is Now Widespread In 10 States, Including California, Texas, Alabama
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2019/12/04/flu-is-now-widespread-in-10-states-including-california-texas-alabama/#fe29e8b49a4a

The flu season is off to a particularly early start this year with seemingly more influenza activity last month than any other November since 2009, the year of the H1N1 flu pandemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of November 17-23, flu activity had appeared in all 50 states. Looks like the flu has already gone “viral,” so to speak.

In fact, that week in November had 10 states experience “widespread” flu activity. That’s Alabama, Alaska, California, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, 10 states with very little in common. In this case, “widespread” means that at least half the regions in each of these states reported either influenza outbreaks or increases in the number of flu-like illnesses during that week. ---CONTINUED---

by rick1 Sat Dec 07, 2019 2:36 am

Latest update from the CDC on the current flu season, week ending November 30th:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

by **ReadyMom** Sat Jan 04, 2020 8:56 pm

Hat Tip to John West's Daily Big Threats Blog:

Early flu season prompts hospitals to take extra precautions
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/flu-season-prompts-hospitals-to-take-extra-precautions-2020-01-03/

Flu activity is now considered "high" in 34 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least 2,900 people have died and the flu hasn't been this widespread this early in the season in more than a decade.

by Cinnamon Sun Jan 05, 2020 10:22 am

Several people around here already have it. Unfortunately, they are folks with compromised immune systems, so they're down hard.

by rick1 Sun Jan 05, 2020 3:10 pm

CDC's report on the flu, week ending December 28, 2019, not looking too good:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

by **ReadyMom** Sun Jan 05, 2020 4:29 pm

ReadyMom wrote:

SNIP ... the flu hasn't been this widespread this early in the season in more than a decade.

A decade ago was 2009 ... when we literally avoided a pandemic by 'the skin of our teeth' (as my father would say) with the 2009 Swine Flu. Only way we avoided that pandemic scenario was the double flu shot that was given en-mass, at the start of the 2009-10 school year. We're seeing #'s increase EARLIER than previous years. Just have to keep an eye of what's happening in your community and take proactive measures.

by **ReadyMom** Thu Jan 23, 2020 11:30 pm

NOT a good start to 2020 (between the coronavirus and the flu, it's a sickly start)

This Year's Flu Season Taking Deadly Aim at Kids
https://consumer.healthday.com/infectious-disease-information-21/misc-infections-news-411/this-year-s-flu-season-taking-deadly-aim-at-kids-754088.html

Fueled by a strain of influenza that children may be especially vulnerable to, less than two months into flu season 39 children have already died, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(SNIP) ... According to the CDC, there were 187 pediatric flu-related deaths in 2017-2018 and 143 in 2018-2019. But this year, pediatric death numbers are already abnormally high.

by rick1 Tue Jan 28, 2020 5:03 am

I realize everyone is concerned about the corona virus and rightfully so.

But, what about the 8,200 people that have died (so far) in the U.S. in the current flu season:

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/01/24/us-flu-deaths-climb-most-cases-children-young-adults/

by **ReadyMom** Tue Feb 04, 2020 10:20 am

Look at the update on the 2019-20 FLU for our country:

Hat Tip to 'Rocky', FluTrackers:

High flu activity spreads across US as virus claims 14 more children - ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com

At least 10,000 people have died and 180,000 have been hospitalized due to the flu, according to preliminary estimates from the CDC.

by rick1 Sat Feb 15, 2020 9:22 am

CDC flu results, week ending February 8th, 14,000 deaths so far and getting worse:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

by **ReadyMom** Sat Feb 15, 2020 10:51 am

rick1 wrote:CDC flu results, week ending February 8th, 14,000 deaths so far and getting worse:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

This could be why: Wave 2 coming through ... but with ANOTHER strain for 2019-20:

HatTip2

Hat Tip to John West's Daily Big Threat Blog:

This Flu Season Was Already Weird. It Is Getting Weirder.
https://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2020/02/15/this_flu_season_was_already_weird_it_is_getting_weirder_111294.html

Coronavirus may be in the headlines, but it's still flu season, and a weird one at that — officials are seeing a new spike in flu activity as a second strain of flu hits on the heels of the first.

The 2019-2020 flu season already had an unusual start — in December and early January, the main strain of flu virus circulating was a type called influenza B, Live Science previously reported. Typically, influenza B does not cause as many cases as influenza A strains (H1N1 and H3N2) and tends to show up later in the flu season, not at the beginning. Indeed, the last time influenza B dominated flu activity in the U.S. was during the 1992-1993 flu season, according to the CDC. ---CONTINUED---

by **ReadyMom** Thu Feb 20, 2020 10:20 am

Hat Tip to FluWiki, Facebook:

Health Officials: US Experiencing Worst Flu Season For Children In Past Decade As Second Influenza Wave Spreading
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2020/02/18/health-officials-us-experiencing-worst-flu-season-for-children-in-past-decade-as-second-influenza-wave-spreading/

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — It’s been a bad flu season for children nationwide and now officials say there is a second wave of influenza spreading. Pennsylvania has more than 72,000 confirmed cases of the flu, which is just a small reflection of the number of people who are sick.

The flu can be dangerous for children, especially if they have a weakened immune system or have not been vaccinated. ---CONTINUED---

by **ReadyMom** Thu Feb 20, 2020 10:22 am

Hat Tip to FluWiki, Facebook:

What is Influenza B & Are You at Risk?
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/health/what-is-influenza-b-who-is-at-risk/2299357/

(SNIP) ... There are actually four types of influenza viruses out there: A, B, C and D.

The most common is A, but this flu season began with a large number of influenza B cases, according to Dr. Ishminder Kaur, a physician at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.

The difference between the two cannot be seen by the naked eye because both show similar symptoms, but they are both just as dangerous.

Here are some questions you might have about the flu and how to prevent it: ---CONTINUED---

by **ReadyMom** Thu Feb 20, 2020 10:22 am

Hat Tip to FluWiki, Facebook:

What is Influenza B & Are You at Risk?
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/health/what-is-influenza-b-who-is-at-risk/2299357/

(SNIP) ... There are actually four types of influenza viruses out there: A, B, C and D.

The most common is A, but this flu season began with a large number of influenza B cases, according to Dr. Ishminder Kaur, a physician at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.

The difference between the two cannot be seen by the naked eye because both show similar symptoms, but they are both just as dangerous.

Here are some questions you might have about the flu and how to prevent it: ---CONTINUED---

by **ReadyMom** Sat Feb 22, 2020 9:19 pm

Hat Tip to 'tetano', FluTrackers:

A record-breaking 105 US children have died from flu so far this season
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/21/health/child-flu-deaths-105/index.html

By Gina Yu, CNN
Updated 1:34 PM ET, Fri February 21, 2020

(CNN) - So far this season,105 children have died from the flu, according to data released Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is the highest number of child flu deaths at this point in the season since the CDC started keeping records in 2004, except for the 2009 flu pandemic.

It has been an "unusual" flu season with a higher proportion of children and young adults affected than the older population, according to Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The earlier prevalence of influenza B -- a flu strain that tends to be more common in children -- could be a reason why more children were affected, Schaffner said. Also, as the number of influenza B cases decreased, the number of H1N1 cases increased, he said. H1N1 is a subtype of the influenza A strain, which also affects children more than adults...

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