“This year, influenza seems to have appeared in every part of the country at the same time,” says William Schaffner. Schaffner is an infectious diseases expert at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. This year’s flu season started earlier than usual. It began during the holiday season. Schaffner thinks people hugging and kissing while visiting family members helped spread the flu. As a result, doctors and hospitals are seeing flu cases all at once across the country.
Influenza is a virus. A virus is a tiny particle that causes disease. Someone infected with the flu will typically have a fever, aches, and coughs. Even though catching the flu can make you feel miserable, it usually goes away on its own. Antiviral drugs can help. However, for certain people, such as children under 5 or adults over 65, the flu can cause dangerous complications such as lung problems. These complications sometimes affect healthy adults and teens—but not as often. What makes this year’s flu noteworthy is that healthy people are getting sicker than usual.
Schaffner says getting the flu vaccine is the best way to prevent getting sick. Because the flu virus changes rapidly, the shot usually doesn’t offer ironclad protection. But officials estimate this year's vaccine will reduce the risk of flu by about a third. Even if it doesn’t work perfectly, getting a flu shot is very important. Those who got flu shots but still get sick will likely have a less severe infection, says Schaffner. Plus, being vaccinated may protect people around you. “No one wants to bring the flu home,” says Schaffner.