Influenza is still a killer
Not too late to get vaccinated
Measles, Bird Flu, and tuberculosis - all infectious diseases that we watch carefully because of the massive dangers to public health, but let us not forget influenza.
Thus far, we have had 86 pediatric deaths, and over 20,000 deaths from influenza this season. And this is just the first wave of influenza. It is not too late.
Here are a few simple facts about the vaccine:
It greatly decreases the risk of death and hospitalization from influenza. If you think getting a vaccine from your local drug store is difficult, imagine calling 911, because you can’t breathe well, and have to go to the hospital. The lost work, lost wages, lost time, and difficulty this will cause - as opposed to simply getting vaccinated.
Hospitalization costs money
I have great insurance - and yet when I was hospitalized for pneumonia a few years ago, my bill was $4000 to the hospital. The cost of a vaccine, zip.
People without symptoms are still contagious
You could be without any influenza symptoms and have the flu. About 1/3 of people have this. Even though they don’t have symptoms, they are still contagious.
Which means the people you interact with - babies, people over 65, people who have decreased immunity because of cancer, chemotherapy, or other diseases - can get influenza from you.
So for those who say they have never had “the flu” and don’t want to get vaccinated, they miss that they can spread it to others.
From the CDC
Nationally, seasonal influenza activity remains elevated. This season is now classified as a high severity season for all age groups (children, adults, older adults) and is the first high severity season since 2017-2018.
• During Week 7, of the 2,486 viruses reported by public health laboratories, 2,383 were influenza A and 103 were influenza B. Of the 1,788 influenza A viruses subtyped during Week 7, 1,115 (62.4%) were influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, 673 (37.6%) were A(H3N2), and zero were A(H5).
• Two new confirmed cases of avian influenza A(H5) were reported to CDC this week. To date, human-to-human transmission of avian influenza A(H5) virus (H5 bird flu) has not been identified in the United States.
• Outpatient respiratory illness decreased slightly this week compared to last week, but remains above the national baseline for the twelfth consecutive week. All 10 HHS regions are above their region-specific baselines.
• Eighteen pediatric deaths associated with seasonal influenza virus infection were reported this week, bringing the 2024-2025 season total to 86 pediatric deaths.
• CDC estimates there have been at least 33 million illnesses, 430,000 hospitalizations, and 19,000 deaths from flu so far this season.
• CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older get an annual influenza (flu) vaccine.1
• There are prescription flu antiviral drugs that can treat flu illness. These should be started as early as possible, and are especially important for patients at higher risk for severe illness.2
• Influenza viruses are among several viruses contributing to respiratory disease activity. CDC is providing updated, integrated information about COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity on a weekly basis.
Yes, I still mask
In spite of the anti-mask folks claiming there is no evidence that masks help. They do. The evidence is clear. Masks both decrease the risk of spreading the virus, and decrease the viral load.
Viral load is how many viruses you are inoculated with. A wet sloppy kiss from someone infected will give you a lot of virus. Someone wearing a mask will have less airborne virus inoculated from a room. The lower the number of virus particles you contact, the less severe disease you have.
Virus particles travel on air droplets from breathing, sneezing, talking, singing. Those droplets are trapped in even simple paper masks, and more so in more complex masks. So while the virus particle is small, the respiratory droplet is quite large. It is also why we surgeons wear masks in the operating room.
In every healthcare facility I enter, I wear a N-95 mask and goggles. Not only to protect myself, but also to protect those I care for.