Flu Vaccines for this season

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I was invited for flu and covid jabs and I got angry because I thought it was because of the stupid Asperger's s**t on my medical records suddenly making me as physically vulnerable as a 90-year-old, but when I got in touch with the doctor they just said it was because my BMI was over 40. But I looked it up and if my BMI was over 40 in fat then I'd be dangerously obese, and I'm not dangerously obese. Plus I have a healthy immune system and very seldom get sick. I can also walk fast without gasping for air. A lot of my BMI is strong bone and muscle, which the doctor agreed with and took me off the vulnerability list.

I've only had flu once in my whole life, and that was in 2019. But it only lasted about 4 days and I began to recover, leaving me with just a cough that wasn't bothersome. But it was flu, because I was so weak those 3-4 days that I couldn't get out of bed, and I've never been that severely affected before. It was like something I had never experienced. I had to hold on to walls and things just to go to the bathroom.

Schools have been forced to close or take measures to reduce the spread of illness in recent weeks as a severe strain of flu sweeps through classrooms across the UK.

Headteachers have reported having to impose restrictions to stop the spread of what has been dubbed a “tidal wave of flu” in recent weeks, which has seen a surge in pupil absences.

Some have shut for several days to carry out deep cleans, while others have made major adjustments, such as cancelling singing in school assemblies.

Congleton High School in Cheshire was one of several schools forced to close due to a number of cases of the flu.

Writing on social media, the school said it had to shut on 26 and 27 November to carry out a deep clean of the premises after discussions with the UK Security North West Health Protection Team and Infection Control Team.

St Martin’s School in Caerphilly, south Wales, also closed for a “firebreak” period to allow a deep clean, the BBC reported after seeing an email from the school’s headteacher.

The email reportedly said 242 pupils and 12 members of staff have been reported absent due to illness at the school, and said the school would aim to reopen on Tuesday, 9 December.

Adam Finn, professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol, who is a member of the government’s joint committee on immunisations and vaccinations, said the current dominant strain has mutated away from the strain used to make the vaccine.

Explaining why it may have affected schools in particular, he said: “In general, seasonal flu epidemics really get going among children and, broadly, spread amongst them and from them into the adult population.

“So I think that is probably what is happening – perhaps a bit more obviously than usual, but in a way that follows the normal sequence of events... that’s my impression so far.”

In Leeds, Wigton Moor Primary School’s headteacher told the BBC they had been forced to reduce singing in assemblies to stop the spread of illness.

“We’ve had assemblies, but we’ve not sung in assemblies because again, we know that that’s something that spreads it quite a lot,” Elaine Bown told BBC Yorkshire, adding that 70 children were off sick or were sent home in the past week.

“We are rehearsing for nativities at the moment and Christmas performances, and we know from Covid that singing in schools is one of the worst spreaders.

“But we are also trying hard not to cancel Christmas; we do not want to do that, so we are trying to make it as non-infectious as we can manage.”

The closures come as Britons have been urged to wear a mask in public if they feel unwell, amid warnings the NHS is facing a “tidal wave” of illness ahead of Christmas.

This year’s flu season started earlier than usual and is yet to reach a peak, meaning pressure on hospitals is likely to grow in the run-up to Christmas.

Experts said the early start to the current flu season and the emergence of a “drifted influenza A(H3N2) strain” have caused some concern.

Professor Adam Finn added: “The fact that the dominant H3N2 strain has drifted will also contribute to its ability to spread amongst and cause illness in children, of course, not just adults, and the paediatric nasal vaccine contains the same flu A(H3N2) strain as the non-live injected vaccines being given to adults.”

H3N2 is a strain of the influenza virus that is recognised as one of two widely circulating strains. Also known as subclade K, it is currently the most dominant strain in England, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Hospital admissions for flu are already up 56 per cent when compared with the same week last year, with experts warning the peak of the season is yet to come.

Flu signs and symptoms develop very rapidly, and extreme tiredness is common, which differs from the symptoms of colds that occur more gradually, according to the UKHSA.

The symptoms and severity of H3N2 illness have been similar to seasonal flu, including fever, cough, runny nose and possibly other symptoms, such as body aches, vomiting or diarrhoea.

An intense surge in flu cases driven by a newly dominant virus strain is sweeping across Europe, placing healthcare systems in several countries under severe pressure, the World Health Organization has said.

The WHO said on Wednesday that at least 27 of the 38 countries in its European region were reporting “high or very high influenza activity”, with more than half of patients with flu-like symptoms testing positive in six countries including Ireland, Serbia, Slovenia and the UK.

It said the flu season had begun roughly four weeks earlier than in previous years and urged populations to curb transmission by getting vaccinated, staying home if unwell, and wearing a mask in public if they had respiratory symptoms.

The WHO said the new seasonal flu variant – A(H3N2) sub-clade K – was driving the infections, accounting for up to 90% of all confirmed flu cases in the European region, but added that there was no evidence it was causing more severe disease.

Hans Henri Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, said: “Flu comes around every winter, but this year is a little different. It shows how just a small genetic variation in the flu virus can place enormous pressure on our health systems.”

Kluge also stressed the danger of misinformation and disinformation. “It’s vital in the current climate to seek credible information from trusted sources like national health agencies and the WHO,” he said. “In a challenging flu season, trustworthy, evidence-based information can be lifesaving.”

The WHO said early data from the UK confirmed that the flu vaccine lowered the risk of severe illness from the A(H3N2) strain, although it may not prevent infection, and said vaccination remained the single most important preventive step.

“This is especially important for those at higher risk, including older persons, those with underlying conditions, pregnant women and children,” it said. Health workers were also a priority group to protect their own health and that of their patients.

“As in other seasons, school-age children are the primary drivers of community spread,” it added. “However, adults aged 65 and older constitute the majority of severe cases requiring hospitalisation.”

Kluge said the flu season was expected to peak in late December or early January. “The current flu season, though serious, does not represent the level of global emergency we faced during the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said, adding: “Our health systems have decades of experience managing influenza, we have safe vaccines that are updated annually, and we have a clear playbook of protective measures that work.”

Flu season is getting an early start in New York City, with doctors reporting a sharp jump in cases weeks sooner than normal.

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that New York City and nearby areas such as Long Island and northern New Jersey had some of the nation’s highest levels of flu-like illness as of early December.

City health officials say flu infections are climbing quickly.

New York City’s acting health commissioner, Dr. Michelle Morse, urged people to get vaccinated and take precautions if they feel sick.

She said flu cases are “skyrocketing” in the nation’s largest city.

Poly Prep Country Day School, a private prep school in Brooklyn, closed its Dyker Heights campus, which serves nearly 900 middle and high school students, after roughly one-third of students were ill over just a few days, school officials said.

The closure allowed staff to conduct an “intensive disinfection” of the building before reopening, school spokeswoman Jennifer Slomack told The New York Times.

Experts say the flu strain spreading this season, known as H3N2, has changed in ways that may help it dodge parts of the immune system.

That could make this year’s flu shot less protective than in some seasons, though early data from the U.K. suggests that the vaccine can still help prevent serious illness and hospital stays.

“It’s earlier and faster this year, and the trajectory is much quicker than usual,” Dr. Bruce Farber, chief of public health and epidemiology at Northwell Health in Manhasset, N.Y., told The Times.

Emergency rooms across New York City are already feeling the impact.

During one week in late November, the number of ER patients diagnosed with flu jumped from 0.6% to 1.6%, then rose again to 3.4% the following week, according to city health data.

Last flu season was one of the worst in recent years, and this season may be following a similar path.

By the end of November, New York City had already recorded more than 10,000 lab-confirmed flu cases, a level that wasn’t reached until late December last year.

Statewide, more than 3,000 people have been hospitalized with the flu so far, nearly 10% of last season’s total.

Vaccination rates remain low. About 22% of New Yorkers outside the city have received a flu shot this season. In New York City, just over 25% of children ages 6 months and older are vaccinated, a 6.5% drop compared with the same time last year, health officials said.

I got hay fever, do I need a vaccine for that as well? Lol

They should invent a vaccine for that. Hope you feel better.

Doctors across the country say flu season has arrived earlier than usual and is hitting people — mainly kids, so far — especially hard.

“I don’t think I ever remember seeing it this severe, this soon,” said Dr. Suchitra Rao, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora. “Our emergency department is full of kids coming in with the flu.”

Colorado is one of the nation’s current hot spots of flu activity, according to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Michigan, too, is experiencing a marked increase in cases.

“Flu, flu, flu. So much flu,” said Dr. Debra Langlois, a pediatrician at University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. “We are inundated.”

Dr. John Schieffelin, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, is also seeing a surge in bad cases, particularly among kids who haven’t had their flu shots.

“The kids who are vaccinated are doing just fine” recovering at home, Schieffelin said. “It’s the unvaccinated children that we’re seeing in the hospital.”

Flu symptoms
Doctors across the country say flu season has arrived earlier than usual and is hitting people — mainly kids, so far — especially hard.

“I don’t think I ever remember seeing it this severe, this soon,” said Dr. Suchitra Rao, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora. “Our emergency department is full of kids coming in with the flu.”

Colorado is one of the nation’s current hot spots of flu activity, according to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Michigan, too, is experiencing a marked increase in cases.

“Flu, flu, flu. So much flu,” said Dr. Debra Langlois, a pediatrician at University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. “We are inundated.”

Dr. John Schieffelin, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, is also seeing a surge in bad cases, particularly among kids who haven’t had their flu shots.

“The kids who are vaccinated are doing just fine” recovering at home, Schieffelin said. “It’s the unvaccinated children that we’re seeing in the hospital.”

Flu symptoms
Langlois said she and her colleagues are seeing a fair amount of classic flu symptoms: fevers, body aches and extreme fatigue.

Anecdotally, Langlois said that she’s also seeing kids with severe headaches and dizziness. Her 7-year-old daughter had the flu last week and described the feeling like this: “I feel dizzy, like I’m spinning when I’m trying to walk.” Dehydration was the likely cause, Langlois said.

Some kids may also experience gastrointestinal issues like vomiting and diarrhea. But those symptoms could also arise because of a secondary virus.

Children who have “persistent” fevers lasting two to three days, Langlois said, should be seen by a doctor.

Is Tamiflu available?
Pharmacies say demand for the antiviral drug Tamiflu is also increasing. When given within the first 24 hours or so of flu symptoms, the drug has been shown to make people feel better about a day earlier than expected.

A Walgreens spokesperson said the pharmacy chain is seeing “very high demand” for Tamiflu nationwide. The company recently saw its supply run low but has since ordered additional stock, the spokesperson said.

According to the Walgreens Respiratory Index — a weekly online tool that tracks the spread of respiratory illnesses — demand for over-the-counter at-home flu tests has jumped 61% nationwide over the last two weeks. In New York state, where flu activity is considered very high, according to the CDC, week over week demand is up 23%, while the two week increase stands at 111%.

Antonio Ciaccia, president of 3 Axis Advisory, a consulting firm focused on addressing supply chain issues, said he’s hearing from a number of independent pharmacies across the U.S. who say they’re struggling to meet demand for Tamiflu.

“We are seeing an early heavy wave of flu cases, which is likely pushing a bit of unexpected pressure on the broader drug distribution channel and its supply,” Ciaccia said.

Steve Moore, who runs an independent pharmacy in Plattsburgh, New York, said his primary supplier is not experiencing shortages of Tamiflu. His backup supplier, however, is currently out of stock.

While Tamiflu can be helpful, Langlois said it’s no “miracle cure.”

The antiviral is authorized for people 2 weeks and older, and is generally most effective when given within the first 48 hours of flu symptoms.

“The thing to think about for Tamiflu is that it shortens the duration of symptoms by about a day,” Langlois said. “It’s really best reserved for high-risk patients, like patients with chronic lung disease, and young kiddos under age 2.”

If you're sick, stay home
Doctors worry that kids who are sick with flu now could spread it to grandparents and other older adults over the holidays.

“At the risk of being a Grinch, if you have the flu and you actively have fevers, then you should stay home. Don’t go to family gatherings,” said Dr. Bernard Camins, medical director for infection prevention for Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. “People will understand.

Flu cases continue to surge across New York, as the Department of Health reports a 23,601 increase in weekly reported cases.

The latest data compiled by the NYSDOH indicates 71,123 cases were reported statewide, with 32,342 of those in NYC.

According to the NYSDOH flu dashboard, the 71,123 cases are the highest amount of reported weekly cases over the last few years.

The peak recorded last year occurred at the end of January and the beginning of February. During the peak weeks, around 53-54,000 cases were reported.

Health officials say we haven’t seen the worst yet, as the flu season is expected to peak sometime in January or into February.

Doctors recommend wearing a mask in crowded situations where people are sneezing and coughing

When the flu strikes, it can feel relentless: rising fever, hacking cough, stuffy nose and sore throat. For many people, relief can come in the form of Tamiflu, a prescription antiviral medication used to treat and even prevent the illness.

But some people may not realize that Tamiflu isn’t the only option.

Other flu treatments are available in the United States. These alternatives sometimes fly under the radar, in part because some are targeted for specific populations. But Xofluza, a one-dose pill, is approved for people 5 years and older – and can be a strong alternative for some people who may otherwise be prescribed Tamiflu.

Antiviral medications tend to work best when started within two days after symptoms begin, so having easy access to treatment options is key for treating the flu most effectively.

To treat flu this season, there are four antiviral drugs recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Tamiflu or oseltamivir, Xofluza or baloxavir, Relenza or zanamivir, and Rapivab or peramivir.

Tamiflu is used to treat flu in people ages 2 weeks and older, and to reduce the chance of getting the flu in people 1 year and older. The medicine is administered in liquid form or capsules, and typically must be taken twice daily for five days when used for flu treatment. When used for prevention after exposure, it is typically taken once daily for 10 days. Available as a generic or under the trade name Tamiflu, it may cost about $50 or less without insurance. The most common side effects include nausea and vomiting.

As another option, Xofluza is administered as a single-dose tablet and approved for ages 5 and older. It can be used to treat or prevent the flu, and it may cost nearly $200 without insurance, but eligible patients can use coupons to lessen costs. The most common side effects include diarrhea and vomiting.

“The most common complaint I hear about is vomiting from Tamiflu,” Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician based in Texas and author of the Baby 411 book series, said in an email. She referenced a 2023 study that showed about 18% of people experience vomiting with Tamiflu versus 5% with Xofluza.

The study also found that about 5% of people get diarrhea with Xofluza compared with none taking Tamiflu. “I’ve also had a few pediatric patients experience moodiness with Tamiflu, which is reported in the literature,” she said.

The “biggest difference” between Tamiflu and Xofluza is that Xofluza can stop viral shedding in one day while Tamiflu may take about three days, Brown said.

That means the rest of the household may have less exposure to the flu and fewer people may come down with it, but “both antivirals will help reduce the duration of the misery by a couple of days,” Brown said. For instance, with treatment, some people may experience five days of flu symptoms instead of seven.

Rapivab is one of the other prescription medications approved to treat flu. The drug is approved for ages 6 months and older, given once as an intravenous infusion by a health care provider. It may cost up to about $1,000 without insurance, and the most common adverse reaction in adults tends to be diarrhea.

Lastly, Relenza is the other recommended flu medication. It is inhaled in powder form, and typically administered using an inhaler device twice a day for five days. The prescription drug is approved to treat flu in ages 7 and older, and for preventive use in ages 5 and older. It may cost up to about $90 without insurance. Side effects include allergic reaction, dizziness or irritation of the nose, and it is not recommended for people with breathing problems, such as asthma.

‘Xofluza is rising in popularity’
Among the recommended flu treatments, Tamiflu tends to be the go-to flu medication for most patients. But Xofluza is becoming more widely used, Brown said.

However, it may not always be available in pharmacies, recommended by providers or covered by insurance.

“I suspect it is region-dependent,” Brown said about access to treatment.

But overall, “Xofluza is rising in popularity over Tamiflu,” Brown said.

“One dose. Fewer side effects. More insurances are covering the cost of it now and manufacturer coupon makes it less expensive than in previous years,” she said, adding that she prefers it for her patients. “But all of the factors above–cost, ability to swallow a pill, availability can impact that decision.”

Another factor that may impact decisions: There is a growing concern about the influenza virus developing resistance to Xofluza.

“This is more in the minds of the practitioner – and I think it has been one of the reasons it hasn’t been used more frequently – the influenza virus can develop resistance to baloxavir, to Xofluza, during the course of treatment,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

“That happens sometimes around 10% of the time, so it’s not trivial. And that’s why I think the longer-term Tamiflu continues to be favored – that and the side effect of diarrhea,” he said. “So, Tamiflu tends to be recommended more frequently, despite the fact that you do have to take it for five days.”

Xofluza resistance has appeared to occur even more frequently in younger children, Dr. Tim Uyeki, chief medical officer of the influenza division at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a call earlier this month of the CDC’s Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA).

“This emergence of baloxavir resistance is associated with a longer duration of symptoms,” Uyeki said during the call. “Fortunately, transmission of a baloxavir-resistant virus from person to person has been very, very limited. It’s been reported, but it appears to be very uncommon and there’s no circulation of baloxavir-resistant viruses or oseltamivir-resistant viruses in the general population.”

National influenza experts discussed on the COCA call that Tamiflu or oseltamivir is preferred for treating hospitalized patients and people with progressive illness.

Xofluza is not recommended during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, for outpatients with complicated or progressive illness, severely immunosuppressed people or hospitalized patients, because of the lack of information on its use for these groups.

But there are situations for which Xofluza may be preferred.

“For a patient with known or suspected influenza B, baloxavir has much greater efficacy against influenza B compared to oseltamivir,” Uyeki said during the call, adding that the medication is “generally well tolerated.”

“A single dose of baloxavir is not associated with many side effects and fewer side effects compared to oseltamivir,” he said. “For patients, I think every patient would prefer a single oral dose of baloxavir versus five days, twice-daily of oseltamivir treatment.”

At the end of the call, Uyeki added that researchers should continue studying the potential benefits of treating flu patients with a combination of antiviral medications, especially those with severe disease.

“I think we need more data for treatment of influenza in hospitalized influenza patients, so severe influenza,” he said. “And for that we need more data for a combination antiviral treatment, for example oseltamivir-plus-baloxavir.”

Flu continues to bring misery across the US, with all but four states showing high or very high levels of activity as a new virus strain called subclade K continues to spread.

By another measure – visits to the doctor for fever plus a cough or sore throat, which are common flu symptoms – the US is at its highest level of respiratory illness since at least the 1997-98 flu season, according to data published Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This is definitely a banner year,” said Dr. Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “It’s the worst we’ve had in at least 20 years. We’re seeing a majority of the country is experiencing very high levels of activity, and we’re still in the thick of it.”

It’s striking to see such an intense season coming off last year’s bad flu season, she noted, as bad years don’t typically occur back to back.

Nationally, about 8.2% of doctor visits were for flu-like symptoms during the last week of the year. At the same point last season, which was also brisk, that number was 6.7%.

Nearly all US states were at high or very high levels of flu activity in the latest data. Montana and Vermont reported low levels of activity, while South Dakota and West Virginia reported moderate levels. Nevada didn’t report flu data this week but showed high levels of flu activity in last week’s report.

In terms of severity – how many people have been hospitalized by the flu – this season is not a standout yet. The cumulative hospitalization rate is the third highest by this point in the season since 2010-11, but that could change as more people are infected.

The CDC estimates that at least 11 million people have had the flu this season, 120,000 have been hospitalized with it and 5,000 people have died.

The agency also received another report of a child’s death, bringing the total number of children who’ve died of influenza this season to nine.

Flu vaccinations have been dropping in children, from a high of 53% over the 2019-20 flu season to 42% at the same point this season.

“I think that this virus, like we saw in Australia and Japan and to some degree in the United Kingdom, has some legs to it,” Osterholm said. “I think you’re going to continue to see activity in communities for at least another three to four weeks of some real, substantial nature.”

New York is reporting the highest number of flu hospitalizations recorded in a single week, the state's health department said on Friday.

During the week ending Dec. 27, 4,546 people were hospitalized with flu, a 24% increase from the 3,666 who were hospitalized the previous week, according to data from the New York State Department of Health (NYSOH)

We are having a more severe flu season than prior years, almost 1,000 more people were admitted to a hospital during this most recent seven-day period compared to the prior week," Dr. James McDonald, the state's health commissioner, said in a statement on Friday.

Flu activity remains elevated throughout the United States, with children being hit especially hard, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC on Friday estimated there have been at least 15 million illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations and 7,400 deaths from flu so far this season.

The federal health agency reported that there is currently a 10-year high in the rate of children visiting doctors' offices for flu.

More than 18% of visits to the doctor for children under 4 years old were related to flu, which is the highest level since at least 2016, the CDC noted.

"I have been watching the data over the past couple of weeks coming out, and concerned about the little kids and how sick we are seeing them come in," Dr. Anne Zink, who is a practicing emergency medicine physician and runs Yale's PopHIVE platform that tracks how respiratory illnesses spread, told ABC News on Friday.

Zink recalled her experience working in an emergency room in Alaska a few weeks ago.

"We didn't even have enough places to sit people in our lobby. My colleagues in other states are sharing very similar stories of just overwhelming flu numbers," Zink said.

About 7.2% of visits to a health care provider were labeled as flu-like illness and continues to be a record for this time of year, CDC data shows. Flu-like illness accounts for patients that have a fever as well as a cough and/or sore throat.

Eight pediatric flu death were reported this week, bringing the total to 17 for this season, according to an ABC News tally.

Last season had a record breaking 289 children die from flu -- the highest number since CDC began tracking in 2004. About 90% of children that died from flu last year were not vaccinated, a CDC study found.

CDC data shows that 26 states are currently seeing "very high" levels of flu-like illnesses while 16 states are seeing "high" levels.

Additionally, demand for over the counter cold and flu medications as well as at-home flu and COVID tests increased 155% over the last three weeks, according to data shared with ABC News by the pharmacy chain Walgreens.

Recently, a top epidemiologist at CDC told ABC News that flu activity could continue to increase in the U.S. over the next few weeks.

"There's a lot of influenza out there right now," Dr. Carrie Reed, chief of the CDC influenza division's epidemiology and prevention branch, told ABC News earlier this week.

"We often see activity continue into the spring ... I think the reality is that it's going to continue to be elevated for a little bit longer," she continued.

Activity in some parts of the country appears to have stabilized compared to the prior week, the CDC noted, but the agency warned that this may be due to fewer people visiting a health care provider during the holidays.

One such place is New York City, where flu activity has begun to show signs of a decline despite the virus continuing to circulate at very high levels, according to state health officials.

New York City was one of the first areas of the country to see "very high" levels of flu activity -- as classified by the CDC -- and has been dealing with an early and significant uptick in flu cases.

Last month, the city saw the highest number of cases recorded in a single year since 2004, the year during which cases became required to be reported.

"We're not out of the woods yet. Flu seasons are unpredictable, and the virus continues to circulate at very high levels," Dr. Michelle Morse, the city's acting health commissioner, said during a press conference on Thursday.