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The flu season could begin in the coming weeks, and although early indicators suggest that this could be relatively moderate this year, health officials are renewing their calls for vaccination after one of the most popular seasons. killers of recent history.
Last year's influenza season, which began in late October, peaked in February and was not completely cooled until May, breaking national records for hospitalization.
There is reason to be optimistic that this year's season will not be so bad.
Overall, the flu season begins in Australia. Its impact there can predict how bad it will be and how the annual influenza vaccine works against the most common strains.
Last year, the flu season in Australia was bad.
This year, things have been far less lenient, according to a report released last month by AARP that cited national and international experts in health.
"This is quite a contrast with last year, when we had a very serious influenza season, with H3N2 predominating," said Kanta Subbarao, director of the World Health Organization's Collaborating Center for Research on HIV / AIDS. influenza.
Health officials always say that vaccination is essential.
The Australian season is an imperfect predictor as the flu virus can change and mutate, said Kerri Tesreau of Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services.
"It seems that the flu season has been mild in Australia and that the predominant strain has been the H1N1 flu and that the flu shot works well against that," said Tesreau, director of the Division of Public Health and Community Department. "But the flu is unpredictable."
Missouri health officials have already started their annual vaccination campaign, posting photos of Governor Mike Parson and his wife Teresa, getting vaccinated last week, and noting that the flu costs 17 million working days each year in the United States. United.
"We are focusing on strengthening Missouri's workforce to make our state more competitive and keeping Missourians healthy is crucial to this success," Parson said in a statement. "The first lady and I have ensured that our annual flu vaccine not only protects us against the flu, but also protects those around us – those we work with, our families and especially our grandchildren. .
Farah Ahmed, a state epidemiologist with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said his state was also starting its vaccination campaign. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that almost all people six months of age or older be vaccinated by the end of October.
Ahmed said it was especially important for anyone at high risk of complications, including infants and young children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with certain chronic diseases. It also potentially prevents people caring for these populations from spreading it.
Even though the injection does not completely prevent the infection, it is proven that it makes the disease less serious and prevents the kind of cases that caused so much misery last year.
As the flu season reached its peak, emergency rooms were filling up and some Missouri hospitals reported delays in transferring patients to larger facilities.
According to the CDC, most deaths from influenza occur in elderly or frail people.
Kansas has recorded about 1,700 deaths related to influenza and pneumonia, a common complication. It was the most that the state has known in three years.
Missouri reported about 2,100 such deaths, which was comparable to previous years. But Randall Williams, the director of the Missouri Department of Health, said the state was near the national summit in closed schools because of the flu.
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