5 things to know about this year's flu season

As the flu season progresses, public health officials report fewer cases than last year's harsh and deadly season.

A recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates a more effective vaccine compared to the previous two seasons and qualifies this low-impact year season for influenza – clbadified as fever, cough and body aches.

Local doctors and public health officials also point out that the flu season is far from over and that the disease usually lasts until April. They say that those who have not received the flu shot this season could still benefit from it.

Here are five things to know about this year's flu:

More typical season

While this season looks sweet compared to last year's hard season that injured 49 million people and killed nearly 80,000 people across the country, doctors say that this year's flu is typical of years prior to the 2017-2018 season.

The CDC estimates that this year's influenza season has reached between 13.2 and 15.2 million people in the country. According to public health estimates, this number includes between 9,600 and 15,900 deaths, including two children in Illinois.

The CDC follow-up also shows that the disease in Illinois is at more moderate levels than several other states in the Southeast, West, and Southwest.

In Illinois, this year's flu rate is comparable to the average of the last six years, while last year was a special case, said Melaney Arnold, spokesman for the Department of Health public of Illinois. Public health data from Chicago and county counties show a similar number of influenza-like illnesses compared to years prior to the 2017-2018 season.

Slow start

But doctors say the season has been slow and that they have noticed an increase in the number of patients this month.

Dr. David Dungan, a Lombard internist and pediatrician at DuPage Medical Group, said he had fewer patients than last year, but that he had also noticed a slight rise in recent weeks.

"I do not think we should rest again," he said. "It's typical, which is why they give us a broad window on influenza season."

And while Dr. Erin McCann, pediatrician in Chicago at Amita Health, said she also saw "a lot more flu in the last two weeks," she noted that people who have had flu shots have shorter cases and less serious.

Vaccine success

According to the CDC report, the 2018-19 flu vaccine is effective at 47% overall and 61% for children aged 6 months to 17 years. This compares to a vaccine efficacy of 40% in all age groups for the previous two seasons.

"They had to do it right," said Dr. Faith Myers, Chair of the Pediatric Committee of the Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Illinois, about this year's flu shot. .

Myers said her Lemont pediatric practice was "as slow as ever" during an influenza season, and that the only patients she'd seen with the flu had not been vaccinated against influenza. Last year, she even saw immune patients fall ill, she said.

CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said the main strain of influenza circulating this year was the H1N1 virus, a strain "the vaccine tends to be a little more effective against." Last year, another strain, H3N2, was more prevalent, she said. This could have contributed to the rigor of the season because, even though the vaccine protects against H3N2, it is not as effective.

Data from preliminary studies may show the effectiveness of the vaccine, but Nordlund said the percentage could change – and even increase – when the CDC will again study the effectiveness of the vaccine at the end of the season. And there are some limitations to this year's mid-season vaccine study, she said, as there are fewer people who get sick this year to test, mostly because of the slow beginning of season.

It's not too late & # 39;

Dungan, in collaboration with the CDC and other public health officials, encourages all people who have not been vaccinated against influenza to make sure to get it, even if it takes two weeks to become effective.

Dungan also points out that during another predominant season against H1N1, people were still sick in May. It was unusual, he says, but it is possible.

The lenient season "should give people confidence that the vaccine will help them," said Dungan. "It's not too late."

Nordland added that the milder season should rebadure people about the effectiveness of the vaccine, pointing out that it is not just about preventing the flu, but about reducing its duration and severity. She also said that the tough season of last year could have caused a nationwide increase in the number of people who got the flu shot this year.

"Everyone remembered how bad it was," she says.

Multiple peaks

Although local influenza cases peaked in late December and an upward trend earlier this month, according to local public health data, it's not unusual to know a few peaks during a season, said Dr. Marielle Fricchione, medical director of the immunization program with the Chicago Department of Public Health.

"Doctors and hospitals are still telling us about the high volume," she said.

And influenza B has barely made an appearance at the local or national level. It is typical that this strain appears closer to spring, offering another peak, said Fricchione. The second wave is another reason why doctors recommend getting the flu shot even late in the season.

"It's worth it," she says.

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