As temperatures decrease, along comes the flu season. Symptoms of the flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue. This year particularly, the flu season has hit California hard. Around this time last year, there had only been a total of 9 deaths (65 and older) from the flu, however this year this now deadly epidemic has risen to over 42 deaths (65 and older). What is the reason behind to why this fatal disease escalated so quickly?

While public health officials continue to encourage the people to get their flu shots because it does offer protection to the virus, flu shots only shield three of the four strains. That one strain, influenza A H3N2, is why the flu season seems more severe this year. To make matters worse, flu season did commence a month earlier than usual.

According to World Health Organization, the overall flu activity that is spreading across North America is predominantly influenza A H3N2. Influenza A H3N2 is what is known as  “a non-human influenza virus that normally circulates in pigs,” according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It happens to also be one of the more severe strains according to scientists because it mutates so quickly that vaccine makers are not fast enough to catch up to it. H3N2 particularly can cause more severe illnesses among the elderly and young children leading to more hospitalizations and frequently more deaths.

It is important to take extra care of yourself in hazardous times like the flu season. Health officials urged people to continue to practice good hygiene like hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, not touching the eyes, nose, or mouth, and staying home if sick. Other prevention tips are getting plenty of sleep, drinking plenty of water, eating nutritious food and taking lots of vitamin C.

http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/09/health/california-flu-season-deadly-bn/index.html

https://www.dailynews.com/2018/01/12/flu-related-deaths-continue-to-climb-in-california-heres-the-latest-toll/

https://www.dailynews.com/2018/01/10/the-h3n2-flu-virus-is-known-as-the-hospitalizer-heres-why/