US flu cases over epidemic threshold

[BingoT]

Please Please will you all take care of yourself and get the Flu shot today.
You have nothing to worry about on this one because it's a Non virus shot this year.

US flu cases over epidemic threshold

Influenza has reached epidemic proportions in the US, say health officials, but the outbreak may be showing signs of having peaked.

Last week 7.3% of US deaths were caused by pneumonia and the flu, just above epidemic threshold, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Flu activity was widespread in 47 states, up from 41 the week before.

But the worst of the flu cases could be past as the number of hardest-hit states dropped to 24 from 29.

Experts recommend flu vaccines, which have been found to be 62% effective.

The 2012-13 flu season is said to have started earlier than usual, with many cases of the H3N2 strain, which can be severe.

"Only time will tell how moderate or severe this flu season will be," Thomas Frieden, the CDC director, told reporters on Friday.

Nationally, 20 children have died from the flu this season, the CDC has reported. They do not count adult deaths, but estimate it kills about 24,000 Americans each year.

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From BBC News

 

[dionysus]

Lol, never had the shot, never had the flu; I think I've been exposed to some nasty chit in my time that it kills anything new lol..I've either super-proof blood, or disease-riddled blood lol. After a bad case of dysentery, e coli and whatever else might have been in that ice, plus the 15 odd vaccines, haven't been sick in 10 years.
I'll prolly be the cause of the zombie apocalypse

 

[just play]

Tom, Boston has it really really bad. It has taken some lives already. My husband works in parts of CT, and heard it's pretty bad there as well, with deaths also.

 

[Jasminebed]

I'm a big believer in the flu shot. If you are in good health, a case of the flu may leave you in bed for a few days. But you could pass it on during the incubation period to someone who is in poor health, with dire results.

The flu shot will not take much time or effort, and there are many free programs. It's not a guarantee against all strains, but it does cover several major predicted ones.

As someone with respiratory difficulties, I've qualified for a free flu shot for many years, well before it was available for all residents of Ontario. And the only year I've had a flu was the one year I missed getting it.

If you have no concerns for your own health, please consider the health of others.

 

[butterflyboogie]

I became sick before Thanksgiving with a sinus thing..cleared up for about a week felt ok and the I got slammed with the flu. It was awful but I didn't go to the Dr because it is viral....taking antibiotics for viral is like taking vitamin C. I drank lots of liquids, tylenol for fever and generic mucinex for congestion. Fever was high, head and cough awful...weakness, dizziness...just felt yucky. That was about 4 weeks ago when I got it, the worse lasted about 10 days...fever 5 but the remnants of it (sinuses, and that cough...the bad cough about two weeks but the hacking cough lingered) just went away last week. I heard that a guy here died last week due to dehydration. You must drink lots of fluids! I have never had the flu shot, however I may get one next year. Stay safe!

 

[BingoT]

Yes it's very bad here in Ct.
All hospitals are full to capacity & we have six more weeks of this.
It's one of the worse years many States have seen.