Don't Panic, But This Flu Season Could be the Worst in a Decade
While the people you follow on Twitter have been eager to let you know how warm it is today, it looks like we're in for a long, hard winter. Why's that? Well health officials say we're already seeing a spike in flu cases, several months early.
The bad news is that while flu rates usually don't spike until January/February, flu-like illnesses have hit a 2.2 percent baseline in the United States. This is the earliest that has happened since the 2003-2004 flu season, when we all turned to Matchbox 20's "Unwell" to comfort us.
The good news, though, is that as of now health officials report this year's flu vaccine seems to be a good match for the strains making people sick.
The key to avoiding the flu is getting the shot, the experts said.
While 120 millions doses of the flu vaccine were made this year, 112 million people have already gotten theirs. That leaves only 8 million doses for the rest of us. Get yours now. Stock up. Sell extra vaccinations from the back of your truck. Do what you have to.
Currently the five states with the worst flu activity are: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.
