Flu Season Is Off to an Early Start — Are You Ready?

“Right now, flu still remains relatively low nationwide, but activity has been trending upward since late summer,” says Margot Savoy, MD, MPH, chief medical officer for the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Emergency Room Visits for Flu Are on the Upswing

An Emerging Influenza Variant Might Be Driving the Early Flu Uptick

Doctors say we’re still learning about this year’s circulating flu strains, so we can’t definitively attribute the early increase to any one factor.

A unique influenza mutation, however, may be part of the problem.

“If more people are susceptible to a circulating strain, the virus may spread more easily, even before we reach the traditional peak of flu season,” she adds.

The immune evasiveness of the variant may affect teenagers and young adults more than older adults, says Thomas Russo, MD, an infectious diseases expert at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at SUNY Buffalo, New York.

“Older people have seen more variations of H1N1, so they have a broader repertoire of antibodies, whereas in younger people, that repertoire is a little bit more curtailed,” he says.

Declining Vaccination Rates and Milder Weather May Also Play a Role

Declining rates of vaccination in prior years may be contributing to this unusually early kickoff to flu season.

Another factor behind the early start to flu season may be changing weather patterns, according to Juanita Mora, MD, board director for the American Lung Association and a physician at the Chicago Allergy Center.

“Climate change has led to longer periods of mild weather, which may lead more people to congregate while the weather is nice, which can potentially increase the spread of respiratory viruses,” she says. “The early surge also coincides with kids going back to school, so that may be a factor as well.”

Doctors Urge People to Get a Flu Vaccine ASAP

Dr. Russo says that the early start of flu season is not evidence that this year’s influenza will be any more harmful than it typically is.

Still, he recommends people take action as soon as they can to protect themselves. “Usually, if you get your flu vaccine by Halloween, you’re good, but I think this year is an exception,” he says. “So get your shot as soon as possible.”

Dr. Mora warns people not to take the flu lightly. “The flu is much worse than the common cold,” she says. “You can have vomiting and diarrhea that lead to dehydration, high fevers, headaches, and muscle and joint pains. It can be very debilitating, and some lose many days of work or school.”

“Vaccination is the best way to protect one another,” says Ryan Maves, MD, a professor specializing in infectious disease at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. “No one has ever claimed that the influenza vaccine will 100 percent keep you from getting influenza, but it definitely reduces the risk.”

“I am a practicing infectious disease physician who also works in the intensive care unit, and I spend far too much time every year caring for unvaccinated people who wind up intubated on a ventilator for a potentially preventable disease,” Dr. Maves says.

Other Ways to Protect Yourself and Others From Flu

• Consider wearing a mask. Masks can provide protection from viruses, particularly in crowded indoor settings. You also might want to mask up when spending time around people at higher risk of severe illness should they get the flu.
• Improve indoor air. Open doors or windows, use air purifiers, or gather outdoors when possible.
• Practice good hygiene. Wash hands regularly and cover coughs and sneezes.
• Stay home when sick. Don’t go out in public until you have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication and other symptoms are mild and improving.
• Test and seek treatment when appropriate. People at higher risk for severe disease who develop respiratory symptoms should contact their healthcare provider. Antiviral medications for influenza work best when started as soon as possible.