Why the Flu Season is So Bad This Year
The rapid spread of the flu has led to many questions, including why it appears to be unusually severe this year, whether the vaccine is effective and how people can avoid catching the flu.
This year’s flu season has hit the United States hard, with nearly every state reporting widespread influenza activity in early January. In California, at least 42 people under the age of 65 have died from the flu, and the season may have yet to reach its peak.
The rapid spread of the flu has led to many questions, including why it appears to be unusually severe this year, whether the vaccine is effective and how people can avoid catching the flu.
UC San Francisco’s Charles Chiu, MD, PhD, associate professor of laboratory medicine and of medicine and the director of the UCSF-Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center, is an expert in infectious diseases, both rare and common. He answered some questions about this year’s flu season.