Have you gotten your flu shot?

It's only mid October and already clinics are bracing for flu troubles as cases are already on the march upwards! A recent article, I read, cited - 'It is officially flu season and doctors said one strain of the flu is expected to be especially severe this year. That strain is called the H3N2 strain. This year, flu season is expected to last from October until May.

Doctors recommend getting the flu shot as early as possible. Anyone who is older than six months old can get a flu shot. It is scientifically proven to help protect you. The vaccine has an inactive virus that helps your body build up immunity to the flu.

Fatigue, coughing, a runny nose and nausea are signs of the flu. Doctors said the best way to avoid getting sick is to get a flu shot.

"I would say it's not only protective for yourself, but also protective for other people who might have chronic illnesses who might be at risk to get the flu," said Ben Moss, a physician assistant at Grants Pass Clinic.' - Excerpted from KDRV.COM.

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Some background on the H2N2 virus: 'Influenza viruses that normally circulate in pigs are called “variant” viruses when they are found in people. Influenza A H3N2 variant viruses (also known as “H3N2v” viruses) with the matrix (M) gene from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus were first detected in people in July 2011. The viruses were first identified in U.S. pigs in 2010. During 2011, 12 human infections with H3N2v were detected. During 2012, there were multiple outbreaks of H3N2v resulting in 309 reported cases.'

This is a tough little swine virus, in my opinion, and I'd urge everyone to consider getting a shot this fall. Remember it takes about two weeks for a person's immune levels to ramp up, so the earlier you get a shot, the better!

The 2017-18 flu season may be a bad one!

One of the indicators for determining how severe the coming flu season will be is to just look at the opposite hemisphere to see what is happening. The flu bug is always active somewhere in the world and tends to get worst in colder weather when people tend to become in closer contact. When it's October here and we are just getting into the cooler months, places like Australia are heading for spring.

Health experts say this is Australia’s worst flu outbreak thanks to a particularly nasty strain,

Influenza A (H3N2). More than 137,500 cases of flu have been reported so far this year including a record breaking 30,000 cases in August. That’s more than double the 53,159 cases confirmed by this time last year and more than the total 83,092 cases confirmed by the end of the flu season in 2016.

So, we have that same strain, (perhaps) to look forward to later this winter season! Thankfully, the vaccine that is being made available this year has an A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 (H3N2)-like deactivated virus as part of the mix!

Of interest is the fact that the flu is already hitting states like Colorado pretty hard.  www.taneyweather.com

Flu in Missouri is on the decline!

This year's flu season has officially crossed the epidemic threshold, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even though it's still early in the flu season, the CDC has been ratcheting up concern that this year, the flu season could be a tough one, especially on the very young and very old! Part of the reason centers around the H3N2 strain, the most common flu virus this flu shots (only about 40% thus far), the mismatched vaccine will only give a person about a 50% reduction in severity should they catch the mutated strain. As of the start of January 2015, it's looking as if the group at the highest risk are those over the age of 65. 

Update: For Jan 10, 2015 - Flu activity in Missouri remains widespread! A total of 32,500 cases have been confirmed across the state. Influenza type A was the predominant strain with a rating of 93.2%. Taney County has had 101 confirmed cases so far in January 2015.

Update: For Jan 17, 2015 - Flu activity in MO, while still widespread is trending downwards and so looks to be following the normal seasonal curve. From January 11 to Jan 17, no new cases were reported in Taney County, MO. The total number of cases, statewide was at 117 cases.

Update: For Jan 24, 2015 -  Flue activity in the Taney County area resulted in zero new cases since the 17th.