The flu season is upon us. These 15 counties had the worst season of last season

The summer is gone, the kids are back in school and the dreaded flu season is back.

The 2018-2019 influenza season officially started on October 1st.

Health officials are urging people to get vaccinated as soon as possible after the 2017-2018 influenza season, which has taken an unprecedented leap.

More than 80,000 Americans died of the flu last winter and about 900,000 were hospitalized. These figures were announced at the end of September at a press conference of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), in collaboration with public health organizations and medical organizations.

While the majority of those killed were over 65, the flu also killed 180 teenagers and children, seven of whom lived in Pennsylvania. In general, 80% of young people killed by influenza are not vaccinated.

In Pennsylvania, the flu claimed the lives of 258 people, the majority of whom were aged 50 and over, and sickened 122,030 people, according to state reports of confirmed influenza cases.

State health officials have warned that the majority of people with the disease do not go to the doctor and do not get tested. Thus, the numbers are under-reported.

It is estimated that 5-20% of Pennsylvanians – 600,000 to 2.4 million people – get the flu each year and 120 to 2,000 die from flu-related complications.

The dominant strain last season was an H3N2 flu, which is usually the deadliest of the four seasonal flu strains that usually circulate.

After the severity of the last influenza season, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reminds the public that it is important to get vaccinated to help protect people who can not get flu shot for medical reasons or others.

"We want everyone, six months old and up, to get a flu shot, which is the best way to protect themselves, their family, friends, community and everyone you interact with." said Nate Wardle, the department's press officer.

The vaccine changes every year to better protect against the influenza strains believed to be the strongest. The effectiveness of vaccines varies from one year to the next. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the last two vaccines were about 40% effective.

Do not wait until there is an epidemic to get you vaccinated.

It takes about two weeks after the vaccination so that the antibodies, which will protect you from the flu, develop in your immune system. If you still get the flu despite vaccinations, studies have shown that you will not get sick so much and that you will be much less likely to die.

This map lists all confirmed influenza cases – which means that a positive laboratory test has been reported to Pennsylvania state officials from October 1, 2017 to September 29, 2018 and reviews the rate of flu confirmed by each county per 100,000 population. .

The Pennsylvania Department of Health released final figures for the 2017-2018 influenza season on Thursday afternoon. Find them here.