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An early flu season means it might be time to think about a flu shot
NPR • • health
Key Points:
- The 2023 flu season in the U.S. has started unusually early, with flu activity rising since early September, particularly in Western states like California, Washington, Hawaii, and Alaska, instead of the typical Southern origins.
- A new flu variant with a mutation that helps it evade existing immunity, especially among teenagers, is believed to be driving this early and atypical flu activity.
- Health experts are urging people to get their flu shots earlier than usual this year to combat the rising flu cases, but the CDC has not actively promoted flu vaccination as in previous years.
- CDC's lack of strong public messaging on flu vaccination is linked to political interference under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, leading to criticism from former CDC officials.
- The CDC stated it is developing a communications strategy to provide clear information about flu vaccination and protection measures but has not yet made officials available for media comment.
