Each flu season seems to have some kind of surprise in store for parents and pediatricians.
Last year, the big surprise was that the flu shots that were available didn't providing as much protection against the flu as we have come to expect because of a poor match between the flu virus strains in the vaccine and the flu virus strains that are going around and making people sick.
Early on in this year's flu season, the biggest surprise seemed to be that there were plenty of flu shots to go around for everyone that wanted one. Many pediatrician's office began getting their initial supply of flu shots in September and quickly began getting their patients vaccinated.
Another surprise this year has been the new recommendation from the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that all children between the ages of 5 and 18 years of age should get an annual flu vaccine. This is in addition to the previous recommendations that all children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years get a flu vaccine each year.
This Year's Flu Shot
The big question each year is often whether or not the flu shot is going to work. Remember that three strains of the flu are typically chosen each year in advance and are included in that year's flu vaccine. If they don't match the flu strains that are going around that year, the flu shot may be less effective at preventing people from getting sick with the flu.
Unfortunately, while last year's flu shot did match the H1N1 flu strains that were going around, it was not a very good match for the H3N2 and B flu virus strains that were causing people to get sick. Still, the CDC reports that "antibodies made in response to vaccination with one strain of influenza viruses can provide protection against different, but related strains." While this protection may not provide perfect protection from these mismatched flu strains, it might lead to a more mild case of the flu.
It is too early to know if we will have a good match in this year's flu vaccine, but so far it seems like the influenza A (H1N1), influenza A (H3N2), and one strain of influenza B is a good match for this year's flu vaccine. Another strain of influenza B that is going around isn't in the flu vaccine, but again, it is too early to tell what that really means yet.
Flu Season Starting?
Flu season activity continued to slowly increase this week, although we are likely still a few weeks or a month away from the peak of the flu season. So with the worst of this year's flu season ahead of us, remember that there is still time to get your kids a flu shot.
Remember that we do sometimes get an earlier flu season peak though, so don't wait any longer to get a flu shot.
Whether or not you get a flu shot, since it isn't 100% effective, you should likely take some steps to help avoid the flu to keep you and your family from getting sick with the flu. This can include frequently washing your hands, avoiding close contact with people who are sick with the flu, and disinfecting contaminated surfaces, including toys and kitchen counter-tops. A flu medication, such as Tamiflu and Relenza can also work as a preventative if you take them after being exposed to someone with the flu.
An early report showing that some strains of the flu virus have become resistant to Tamiflu might be concerning. It could mean that if you get the flu, then you might have to stick it out, suffer through the symptoms, and wait for them to go away.
Fortunately, the same report didn't show resistance to Relenza or the older flu medications, amantadine and rimantadine.
Flu Activity Reports
As of late-December, following some initial reports of sporadic flu activity in early-December, the CDC reports that flu activity continues to increase.
No states are reporting widespread flu activity.
Three states, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia, are reporting regional flu activity.
Ten states, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Texas, are reporting local flu activity.
Thirty states, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, and the District of Columbia, are reporting sporadic flu activity.
Only six states are reporting no flu activity, and, West Viginia didn't report at all.
Remember that when it comes to flu activity reports, widespread > regional > local > sporadic > no activity.
Google's Flu Trends, which relates flu searches in an area to how many people are actually sick with the flu, now reports a moderate level of flu activity in the United States. That is the third level on their scale of minimal < low < moderate < high < intense.
Knowing where there is flu activity can be helpful, because if you have classic flu symptoms in an area where there are a lot of flu infections, especially widespread or intense flu infections, then you likely have the flu and should see your doctor right away to see if you are a candidate for one of the flu medications, such as Tamiflu or Relenza.
Flu Deaths
Each year, the flu is reported to be responsible for almost 36,000 deaths, including about 46 to 74 deaths in children. Last year, 83 deaths in children have already been reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. Unfortunately, this is not unusual in a typical flu season.
There has been one influenza-associated pediatric death this season.
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