The US flu season has started, with cases surging in several states, including Tennessee and Louisiana. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lab tests and emergency room visits have seen sharp increases over the past few weeks.
The CDC reported that 13 states experienced high or very high levels of flu-like illness last week, twice as many as the previous week. One doctor, Dr. William Schaffner, notes that flu cases have been increasing steadily for several weeks, with a quarter of patients in his clinic showing symptoms.
The CDC emphasizes that there are multiple viruses causing flu-like symptoms, including COVID-19 and RSV. However, flu hospitalizations have declined since summer, while COVID-19 activity is moderate nationally, but high in the Midwest.
Vaccination rates for flu and COVID-19 are lower than usual this season. Only 41% of adults have received a flu vaccination, similar to last year’s rate, while kids’ vaccination rates are also down. Experts stress the importance of getting vaccinated, especially during holiday gatherings where viruses can spread easily.
However, Louisiana’s health department has recently backed away from recommending flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, citing concerns about safety and effectiveness. Public health experts have strongly disagreed with this stance, arguing that vaccines save lives and policies discouraging vaccination are irresponsible.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/flu-season-covid19-rsv-1d44ab79d0c3172981397a62767680be