Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Flu Season Is Off To A Later Start This Year, And Experts See Signs That It May Be Milder

The Canadian Press, 18 Dec, 2015 12:54 PM
    NEW YORK — This year's flu season seems like old times.
     
    There's not much flu going around so far — unlike the last three seasons when doctors' offices were filled with patients before Christmas and illnesses peaked by late December.
     
    "It really is off to sort of a slow start" compared to that recent history, said Lynnette Brammer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
     
    The CDC released its weekly flu count Friday. Only South Carolina is showing significant flu-related traffic at doctor's offices and clinics.
     
    Traditionally, most flu seasons don't really get going until around Christmas — possibly triggered by holiday gatherings that bring together people and viruses. Infected kids then go back to school, mingle with classmates, and flu season takes off.
     
    Using mathematical modeling, scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory this week predicted there's a 57 per cent chance this flu season will peak in February, and a 67 per cent chance it will be mild.
     
    Experts are still puzzling about why flu became epidemic so early the last few years. Factors might include the weather and what kind of flu bug was spreading the most, said Dr. John Treanor, a flu vaccine researcher at the University of Rochester School of Medicine.
     
    The CDC's Brammer said so far this year there's a mix of flu viruses making people sick. In bad seasons, one nasty strain dominates. And last year, the flu vaccine didn't work very well for the bug that caused most of the illnesses. This year's version was changed.
     
    The delayed season means there's more time for people to get vaccinated, Brammer said.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Federal Government Moving To Ban Microbeads In Personal Care Products

    Federal Government Moving To Ban Microbeads In Personal Care Products
    TORONTO — The federal government says it's developing regulations to ban the use plastic microbeads in personal care products.

    Federal Government Moving To Ban Microbeads In Personal Care Products

    Abortion Pill RU-486 Approved By Health Canada After 2 1/2 Year Review

    Abortion Pill RU-486 Approved By Health Canada After 2 1/2 Year Review
     Women will need to obtain a prescription from a doctor to purchase the drug.

    Abortion Pill RU-486 Approved By Health Canada After 2 1/2 Year Review

    Diabetic? Don't Skip Breakfast

    Diabetic? Don't Skip Breakfast
    Fasting until noon triggers major blood sugar spikes and impairs the insulin responses of Type-2 diabetics throughout the rest of the day, the researchers said.

    Diabetic? Don't Skip Breakfast

    Love Drinking? Raise A Toast To Moderation

    Love Drinking? Raise A Toast To Moderation
    Have you heard of "Holiday Heart Syndrome"? It happens when a non-drinker or a light drinker gives in to the weekend party mood and goes on a drinking spree.

    Love Drinking? Raise A Toast To Moderation

    South Asians In US Reluctant To Report Pain

    South Asians In US Reluctant To Report Pain
    South Asians living in the US are more reluctant than other ethnicities to report pain as well as seek medication to treat the pain they experience near the end of their lives, says a new study led by an Indian-origin researcher.

    South Asians In US Reluctant To Report Pain

    South Asians In US More Prone To Heart Attacks, Diabetes

    South Asians In US More Prone To Heart Attacks, Diabetes
    South Asians in US are more prone to heart attacks and diabetes when compared to other ethnic groups, it was highlighted at a health congress here.

    South Asians In US More Prone To Heart Attacks, Diabetes