Flu News & Surveillance
Flu Vaccine and the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease
We advocate for annual flu vaccination for the simplest of reasons; to keep you and your loved ones out of the hospital and away from serious health risks. When we think about those serious health risks it’s easy to dismiss that there are risks to your health long after you have recovered from a serious…
Read MoreHow Many People Had The Flu in 2020-2021?
The 2020-2021 flu season occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because Covid-19 was spreading globally, many people were wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands, and staying home from work and school. These prevention measures for Covid-19 also worked to prevent flu! During the 2020-2021 flu season, the CDC reports that there were only 1,675 positive flu cases…
Read MoreHow Many Young Adults Die From The Flu?
While people ages 65+ have the highest risk of getting the flu and dying from it, the flu does not discriminate. Sadly, people of all ages can die from the flu. During the 2019-2020 flu season, almost 500 people under 18 died from flu and over 2,000 people between the ages of 18-49 died from…
Read MoreWhat is Bird Flu?
Bird flu, also called avian flu, is a type of flu that spreads among birds. In this post, we talk about what bird flu is and how it affects humans. How does flu spread in birds? Bird flu occurs naturally in wild birds. When birds are used for eggs and meat and they live together…
Read MoreThe Number of Flu Cases Worldwide: A Global Perspective
Influenza is a year-round, global virus. Because the flu season typically coincides with the winter months, the Northern hemisphere’s flu season is often from October-April and the Southern hemisphere’s flu season covers the other months of the year. Here are some statistics on flu cases worldwide: An estimated 1 billion people worldwide are infected by…
Read MoreRSV Is Spreading – That’s Bad News for Flu Season
Respiratory syncytial virus, otherwise known as RSV, is currently spreading across the US at an unusual time. RSV is a respiratory virus that typically spreads during flu season and is so common that the CDC states that most children have a case of RSV by the time they are two. But RSV can be serious,…
Read MoreFears of a Twindemic: Don’t Delay Flu and COVID-19 Vaccinations
Last year, Families Fighting Flu and health officials warned of a “twindemic” of COVID-19 and flu. The fear was that as cases of COVID-19 continued to rise, and we were awaiting a COVID-19 vaccine, flu would also spread and there wouldn’t be enough hospital beds, ICU beds, ECMO machines, or ventilators. Thankfully, that never happened.…
Read MoreLosing Sight of Flu: A Side Effect of the Pandemic?
Serese Marotta, Chief Operating Officer for Families Fighting Flu shares thoughts on how the COVID-19 pandemic may impact flu prevention efforts moving forward. Last spring, when fears of COVID-19 in the U.S. were spreading faster than the virus itself, I had a sense of dread. Not just because we were on the verge of a…
Read MoreA Nearly Flu-Less Season in the Southern Hemisphere
The recent holidays felt different and more somber than usual as families abandoned traditional travel plans, gift exchanges, and festivities to protect themselves and loved ones from the potential spread of COVID-19. The COVID-related deaths and infection rate in the United States continue to be both staggering and devastating. But today we bring to you…
Read MoreCoronavirus and Flu Are Spreading Simultaneously: Here’s What You Can Do to Help Prevent Both
A new virus that emerged from Wuhan, China, coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19 for short, is circulating around the world. At the same time, seasonal flu (influenza) is also spreading, which has caused millions of illnesses and thousands of hospitalizations and deaths. Many of the same methods for preventing seasonal flu can also be used…
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