An early flu season means it might be time to think about a flu shot
Health experts are reporting an unusually early start to the flu season, with increased activity detected in Western states. Researchers suggest a new viral variant capable of evading existing immunity may be driving this early surge.
Why it matters
Early flu activity can overwhelm healthcare systems and necessitates earlier public health interventions like vaccination campaigns.
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Fall has only just begun, but it's already time to start thinking about the quintessential winter bug: the flu .
The annual flu season usually starts in October or November. But this year, it looks like the flu started to pick up in early September.
Health Reporting in the States What happened during Christa Pike's failed execution "There are enough signs pointing in the same direction to make me think, 'OK, yes. This is the start of flu season,'" says Caitlin Rivers , an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
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