Why flu season will be worse and how to prepare

Dr. Jay K. Varma is a special contributor to Healthbeat. Public health, explained: Sign up to receive Healthbeat’s free national newsletter here. In my clinic last week, I began to see the signs of what I have been fearing for months. Two patients came in on the same day with high fever, sore throat, and body aches. Both tested positive for influenza. While there is nothing remarkable about people getting the flu in the winter, what worries me is the timing and spread. Across New York state, influenza activity is already far higher than it was at this point in recent years. During the week ending Dec. 6, there were more than 12,000 reported flu cases and nearly 1,400 hospitalizations. During the same week last year, there were fewer than 5,000 cases and about 300 hospitalizations. Two years ago, cases were similarly high, but hospitalizations were substantially lower. This season, influenza is arriving earlier, spreading faster, and sending more people to the hospital. The United Sta