Upcoming Flu Season Unpredictable
by Jill Johnson
September 17, 2012 5:22 PM
When it comes to the flu, experts say it's hard to tell what this season will look like.
Dr. Wallace at Sanford 69th and Minnesota Family Medicine in Sioux Falls says flu seasons are unpredictable. The severity and length of the season depends on what influenza viruses are spreading, whether the vaccine matches the virus and how many people get the vaccine.
Dr. Fritz says the flu season typically begins in the fall, as early as October, and lasts for several months. Fritz recommends that those six months and older get a flu vaccine every year.
Fritz said, "Influenza is characteristic by abrupt onset of fever, muscle aches, chills, often patients come in and can tell you almost to the minute when their syumptoms started.
The flu vaccine is already available. According to the CDC, for the 2012-2013 season, manufacturers have projected that they will produce between 146 to 149 million doses of the flu vaccine.
