| Katelyn Jetelina in Your Local Epidemiologist |  |
The plague in Russia? Wouldn’t be so scary if there wasn’t a new book about this exact scenario. And that it’s in Russia (our political adversary, which is currently at war with NATO). And that we just survived a pandemic. There’s been enough chatter about this that we tackle it head-on.
Also, sick season is definitely here early: flu is increasing, and the common cold is surging. And another synthetic opioid may be spreading in our drug supplies.
Here’s what’s going on in the world of health and, most importantly, what it means for you.
Disease “weather” report
Flu continues to increase
Flu is still low nationally but is increasing in almost every state (purple on the map below). This is true for many metrics, including test positivity rate, emergency department visits, and even (if you squint closely) hospitalizations, which are ticking up.
It’s so weird how early this flu season is, but as I said last week, flu is doing what it does best: being unpredictable.
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Trends in flu emergency department visits from the previous week. Source: CDC.
The strain that is driving this flu wave right now is H1N1pdm09. H1N1 is in the flu vaccine, which is great news! But the circulating strain has a mutation that has drifted slightly from the vaccine. Early lab data suggest the mutation is most often found among teens and young adults, people whose first flu exposure was the 2009 H1N1 pandemic strain. This means the vaccine may not be as effective in young people.
BUT the flu vaccine is still very important. In that same study, the vaccine boosted antibodies against every current strain, including the mutated ones. Every year, multiple flu strains circulate, and the vaccine will likely protect kiddos from other strains!
What this means for you: It’s time to get your flu vaccine for optimal protection.