flu

Fatalities among children were high again for a second year in Florida, while national numbers were the highest since the swine flu pandemic during the 2009-10 season.

The rate of pediatric deaths in Florida is 0.6 per 100,000 population, more than in 2020-21, when it was 0.3 per 100,000. The state also reports the child vaccination rate is lower than the same point last year.

The CDC estimates 19,000 people have died from the flu so far this winter including 86 children. The agency says at least nine of those children experienced brain complications

Experts worry that a bird flu outbreak among dairy cattle could lead to a pandemic in the human population. Now, there's some research behind that. A study finds that the flu can remain infectious in refrigerated raw milk for up to five days.

Flu, RSV and other respiratory illnesses are sending people to urgent care and emergency rooms. In some cases, these patients are ending up with pneumonia.

In an abundance of caution, the CDC last week advised hospitals and labs to do faster flu testing to help identify possible bird flu cases hiding in the flock of rising flu diagnoses.

While the latest state report shows the first significant decrease in flu cases since the peak, the numbers are still higher compared to the same period in recent years.

The most recent CDC hospitalization data and other indicators show that the flu virus is trending higher than the other germs. Several seasonal strains are driving cases.

When families and friends congregate in small spaces, they will be bringing whatever variants of flu, COVID and other viruses with them.

While not perfect, vaccinations are the best bet for avoiding a bad case of flu or COVID-19 this fall and winter. The CDC recommends these vaccinations for ages 6 months and older.