Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Flu Shots Time

It's that time of year again to get your flu shots!

I read this on American Medical Association newsletter and thought I'd share...

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Leading the News

U.S. saw most flu deaths in over a decade last winter

The New York Times (10/1, McNeil) reports that “more than 80,000 Americans died of the flu in the winter of 2017-2018, the highest number in over a decade, federal health officials said last week.” Although 90 percent of those deaths were in people over age 65, “the flu also killed 180 young children and teenagers, more than in any other year since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began using its current surveillance methods.”
The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/1, Washinigton) mentions that last season’s flu vaccine “was about 40 percent effective, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health,” adding that “there’s no way to predict if the upcoming flu season, which runs October through spring, will be better or worse, experts say.” The article says researchers are developing a universal flu shot in tandem with a seasonal vaccine, and “there’s also a new, fast-acting drug that appears to shorten the duration of flu symptoms” and is under FDA review with a decision expected soon.