U.S. may face severe flu season

OKLAHOMA CITY - The United States may have a particularly harsh flu season this year. “Sometimes we can learn a lot about what our flu season will be like based on Australia,” said Eliza Chakravarty, M.D. In 2017, Australia had its worst flu outbreak in decades, which then made its way to the U.S. and killed an estimated 79,000 people. Peak flu season in Oklahoma typically runs from December until February. Australia’s 2019 flu season alone has resulted in 272,000 confirmed cases and 662 deaths, marking one of the worst outbreaks in the nation’s history, and it could again be making its way to America. “We hate to sound like a broken record, but get your flu shot,” Chakravarty said. “It’s not perfect, but it’s still your best chance to avoid this potentially deadly virus.” Typically, the flu vaccine offers between 40 and 60% protection, but those numbers have dipped as low as 10 to 30% in recent seasons. However, there is still no downside to getting the shot, said Hal Scofield, M.D. “In many cases, you can get the shot for free. It lowers your risk of getting the flu, and if you do get the flu anyway, it often means you will get a less severe version of the virus,” Scofield said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that last year’s flu outbreak affected up to 43 million Americans and resulted in, or contributed to, between 36,000 and 61,200 deaths.