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Last year, at least 900,000 people were hospitalized for the flu.
This month marks the beginning of the US flu season. It is estimated that 5 to 20% of the country's population gets the flu each year.
Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that about 80,000 Americans died of the flu and its complications during last winter.
This makes last year's flu season the deadliest since 1976, the year of the first annual report on deaths from influenza in the United States.
Among this total number of deaths, it was revealed that a record number of 180 children died of the flu. Beyond deaths, another record was set last year for 900,000 hospitalizations.
As we enter a new influenza season, these numbers can lead many people to wonder if they and their families should be worried about getting the flu this year.
The question that arises automatically is: why was the flu season of last year so bad?
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told Healthline that a "toxic mix" of factors accounted for the high number of deaths and hospitalizations.
"First, last year, the dominant viral strain of the flu was H3N2, which causes a more serious illness. In addition, there is a large, particularly vulnerable, population group that is growing every day – those 65 and older and
He added that the influenza vaccine itself is "good" but "not perfect".
"That's the best science can offer now, but there's the fact that the vaccine for this strain has not worked very well," Schaffner said.
According to the CDC, the effectiveness of last year's flu vaccine was estimated at 40%.
For doctors, an alarming and frustrating fact is that many people do not get vaccinated.
Richard Benson, a subcontractor of infectious diseases at the CDC, told Healthline that about 80% of children had not received a flu shot last year.
"Only the 2009 swine flu epidemic was worse – 358 children were killed," he said.
Benson said the CDC recommends all people over 6 months of age to be vaccinated against the flu by the end of October.
"It takes about two weeks for the body to produce a complete immune response," said Benson. "Some children between the ages of 6 months and 8 years will need two doses of influenza vaccine to adequately protect themselves from the flu. Children in this age group who are being vaccinated for the first time will require two doses of influenza vaccine, spaced at least four weeks apart. "
Schaffner reiterated that if anyone wondered when to get the flu shot, make it a "now".
"The answer is simple: get vaccinated before Halloween and certainly before Thanksgiving. If you put it back, get vaccinated, of course, but now is the time to get vaccinated, "
He also pointed out that there were secondary benefits.
"Even if you get the flu after being vaccinated, there are secondary benefits to immunization," he said. "You will be less likely to have complications from pneumonia, you will have less risk of dying. Everyone needs to give more credit to the vaccine.
"Regardless of the severity of the season, we should all be vaccinated every year," he added.
Schaffner also said that pregnant women should make sure to look for the flu shot.
If a pregnant woman gets the flu, she will catch it at the severity of an old person's lower immune system. He also pointed out that vaccinating a pregnant woman would mean protecting her newborn after birth.
"The antibody protection crosses the placenta and enters the newborn, which ensures its protection during the first six months of life," he added.
Since it is so early in the flu season, it is impossible to know how deadly this disease could be.
But medical experts can look at other parts of the world
Benson said that even though countries in the southern hemisphere like Australia are currently experiencing a less severe season – the less deadly H1N1 virus being the dominant strain of influenza – we can not know if this will be
"Although the CDC does not provide a classification of influenza severity until the end of the influenza season, it publishes weekly reports on key influenza indicators during the influenza season, including the percentage and percentage of deaths due to influenza. to pneumonia or flu, "said Benson.
You can find this information from the CDC here.
For Schaffner, as the influenza season approaches, the key is to keep in mind
"Although we focus a lot on personal protection, the other benefit of the vaccine is that by receiving it, you are less likely to spread the flu to others," Schaffner added.
"You will not broadcast it to those who will fall very ill. Nobody wants to be a "dreaded spreader," he said, "get vaccinated for your friends and family, the people at the gym, the people you love to do with, do it for yourself, and promote a healthier community. "
A "toxic mix" of factors explains the high number of deaths and hospitalizations related to seasonal influenza last year.
First, the dominant viral strain of the flu itself was H3N2, which causes more severe symptoms.
There is also a growing group of older people who may have worse outcomes if they come into contact with the disease.
Experts say the time has come for a flu shot, though it's too early to know how effective it will be. But doctors emphasize that a protection against the flu is better than nothing.
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