It’s Not Just You- The Flu Is Bad This Year_1

This winter has brought a cold reminder that SARS-CoV-2 isn’t the only virus we need to think about. After two winters during which influenza was subdued by pandemic precautions, the last few months have shown that the flu is still a major public health threat that can overwhelm busy hospitals and cost thousands of lives.

This flu season is no 100-year outbreak. But it’s the most severe flu season since the start of the pandemic. “It looks very similar to some of the worst seasons in the past 10 years,” says John Huddleston, a staff scientist in the Bedford Lab at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where he tracks the evolution of influenza viruses.

Huddleston compares the 2022-2023 flu season to one of the worst flu seasons over the last decade: 2014-2015. During the peak of that season, the rate of hospitalization reached 9 per 100,000 people, while in this season, the highest mark so far has been 8.7, during the week that ended Dec. 3. By comparison, during the peak of the flu season last year, the rate was only 1.2 per 100,000 people.

It’s too soon to tell for certain, but the current flu season may also have a similar death toll t…

Read more