Health

Why is the flu getting worse?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has cancelled nuclear disaster talk to instead focus on the nation's Flu outbreak.

This year's flu makes it clear what experts already know:  Flu can kill.

At the CDC's Grand Rounds discussion today, officials say there's widespread flu activity from this season's outbreak in all of the continental U.S. – something that hasn't happened in the CDC's 13 years of tracking the spread of influenza.

The current flu season started earlier than in the past and is likely peaking, according to the CDC.

“All influenza viruses are changing constantly,” said Alicia Fry, with the CDC. “For some reason, this H3N2 virus is changing even faster. Why exactly it is changing faster than the other ones I don’t know.”

“The other problem with this virus is that it is so hard to grow in eggs, and most vaccines are dependent upon the virus growing in eggs, and so that’s worse in H3N2.”

H3N2 viruses are more severe that most other flu strains, and ends up sending more people to the hospital than other types of the flu.

“I think we’ll probably have several more weeks of influenza,” Fry said. “A normal season lasts about 12 weeks and so I think there’s q lot more influenza that’s coming. I think in a couple of weeks we’ll see if it actually is peaking. We’re very hopeful.”

CDC officials stressed the importance of vaccinations to prevent infection and the spread of influenza.

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