The flu virtually disappeared for the last 2 years — but health officials are predicting that it could come roaring back this winter, alongside potential COVID-19 spikes, threatening to cause a long-feared 'twindemic.'
Health officials are predicting this winter could see an active flu season on top of potential COVID surges. In short, it's a good year to be a respiratory virus. Left: Image of SARS-CoV-2 omicron virus particles replicating within an infected cell . Right: Image of an inactive H3N2 influenza virus.
The strongest indication that the flu could hit the U.S. this winter is what happened during the Southern Hemisphere's winter. Flu returned to some countries, such as Australia, where the respiratory infection started ramping up months earlier than normal, and caused one of the worst flu seasons in recent years.
And the combination of the two viruses could seriously strain the health system, he says. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention"We should be worried," says Dr., an infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital."I don't necessarily think it's run-for-the-hills worried. But we need to be worried."
, who leads influenza epidemiology and prevention for the CDC."We can expect a flu season this year — for sure."that the flu is already starting to spread in parts of the south, such as Texas. And experts caution very young kids may be especially at risk this year. , assistant professor of medicine and allergy and infectious diseases and an adjunct assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington."We know that schools are really the places where influenza spreads. They're really considered the drivers of transmission," Chu says."They'll be the spreaders. They will then take it home to the parents. The parents will then take it to the workplace.
Nevertheless, Webby and others are urging people to make sure everyone in the family gets a flu shot as soon as possible, especially if the flu season arrives early in the U.S. too.