San Diego steps up its fight against the flu after the severity of the flu season last year



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The City of San Diego is stepping up its fight against the flu virus this season after hundreds of residents have died during what was considered the most serious flu season in recent history .

The city's efforts will be announced Wednesday as officials prepare for the 2018-2019 influenza season.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last fall and winter, the United States went through one of the most severe influenza seasons in recent history.

The US government estimates that 80,000 Americans died of the flu and its complications last winter – the heaviest toll of the disease for at least four decades.

In San Diego County, the 342 residents who died of influenza during the 2017-2018 influenza season represent an increase of nearly 300% compared to the 87 deaths of the city during the 2016-2017 influenza season.

In addition to promoting influenza vaccination, the City of San Diego will work with Waxie's manufacturer of hygiene products and hygiene products, Goax Industries, to install disinfectant hands in all San Diego libraries and recreation centers.

County health officials believe that the best prevention is to be vaccinated against influenza. They said in September that this season's influenza vaccine offered protection against several influenza strains, including influenza A H3N2, pandemic H1N1 and B strains.

According to Wilma Wooten, MD, MPH, the county's public health officer, seriously ill people are more likely to suffer from serious flu-related complications, but healthy people may be at risk for a serious illness that causes severe illness. disability and death.

The vaccine is especially recommended for people suffering from chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes and lung diseases, pregnant women, people aged 65 and over, as well as those who live with ds. other people or who take care of them.

A number of San Diego County clinics offer the flu vaccine. Click here for the most up-to-date list of the county. For more information, call (866) 358-2966.

The duration of the upcoming influenza season may depend on where you live.

Oregon State University scientists have been monitoring cases of influenza in more than 600 areas of the United States and have found that in the crowded cities, the flu season lasts longer, regardless of the climate.

Small towns tend to have a shorter but more intense influenza season.

CDC officials do not know exactly how many people die of influenza each year. The flu is so common that not all cases of influenza are reported and flu is not always listed on death certificates. The CDC therefore uses periodically revised statistical models to make estimates.

Last winter, however, was not the worst flu season ever recorded. The 1918 influenza pandemic, which lasted nearly two years, killed more than 500,000 Americans, according to historians.

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