This year the flu season may be worse than the last pandemic: 114 children died

This year's flu season will be as bad as the 1 H1N2009 swine flu pandemic, federal health officials said Friday.

Фото: Depositphotos

The flu is still active across the country, with only three states—Montana, Maine and Florida—reporting minimal flu activity, writes NBC News.

The report also mentioned the deaths of 17 children who died from the flu, that is, this season a total of 114 children died.

“This has been a truly challenging season, and it’s not over yet,” said CDC Director Dr. Anne Schuchat. “I think the end of this season will ultimately result in more sick people than during the 2009 pandemic.”

2009 was the year of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic. This year has been especially bad for children and young people.

In 2009-2010 the H1N1 flu virus killed 282 children in the United States, and 2014 children died in 2015-148.

“This year we have quite a lot of sick people among older and middle-aged people,” Schuchat said.

Each year is different from one another. Factors such as humidity and mode of transmission may have influenced the spread of the flu.

Earlier this week, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases released a strategic plan to develop the best influenza vaccine, which indicates that scientists still do not have enough information about the spread of influenza.

“Our understanding of seasonal and pandemic influenza transmission is imprecise,” it says.

People get sick with different strains of flu. This week's CDC flu report shows that about half of the people tested for influenza had the B.

Schuchat said there has been an increased demand for antiviral drugs to treat influenza this year. Three drugs on the market - oseltamivir, zanamivir and perimivir - can reduce the severity and duration of the disease if people get them quickly enough.

This year, the vaccine prevents about 36% of cases of influenza in vaccinated people, but best protects young children from the disease - 59%, reports the CDC. The report says that the vaccine is less effective (about 25%) in preventing diseases caused by the dominant virus this year.

According to the report, most of the children who died this year were not vaccinated. The same trend with infant mortality during influenza was in previous years, according to a study published this week.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Can a pandemic be predicted?

Personal experience: cons of the Medicaid program

"Drug Buyer Clubs" are gaining popularity

5 ways to save on Medicare insurance

5 health insurance tips for those who soon retire

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.