Flu Rampant and Widespread Across the Country
Hilary Brueck, Nikki Battiste-
This season, the flu has been extremely widespread and deadly. Currently, there are over 74,000 reported cases and at least 30 reported pediatric deaths due to the flu. Specifically in California, one of the harder hit states, 43 people under the age 65 are reported dead due to the flu. Health officials are urging everyone to get the flu vaccination, as flu season tends to peak in February and many of the adult individuals reported dead were unvaccinated. A big reason for the prevalence of the flu this season is due to the prominence of the flu strain, H3N2, for which flu vaccination has only been 20-30% effective against. In addition, the large number of flu cases has resulted in a shortage of anti viral drugs prescribed to combat the flu.
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