Australia Flu Season Offers Clues About What the U.S. Can Expect to See

Posted: September 29, 2022 4:40 am

CDC Warns of Severe Flu Season Ahead Based on Australian Data

While the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the business of the planet in 2020, one positive consequence was a flu season that was nearly non-existent that same year. However, 2021 brought flu cases back up again as people returned to school and the workplace. What will 2022 hold for the U.S.? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning that it could be a difficult flu season based on what Australia saw earlier in the year. Here are all of the details.

Inside the Numbers

The Influenza Division of the CDC is in charge of monitoring the flu season around the world in order to gauge how it may unfold when it reaches the U.S. By looking at what has happened in recent months in the Southern Hemisphere, experts are able to predict with some level of accuracy the severity of the upcoming U.S. flu season.

Unfortunately, the news is not all that promising. Australia is just finishing what was its worst flu season in five years. One reason for the severity is that flu cases spiked about two to three months earlier than usual.

While the severity of the season in the Southern Hemisphere is often seen as the bellwether, there have been years that a harsh season in this part of the world did not necessarily translate to a similar experience in the Northern Hemisphere. Conversely, there have also been years where the Southern Hemisphere escaped with a minor flu season while the Northern Hemisphere was hammered particularly hard.

Looking Back at the Last Few Flu Seasons

It makes sense that the U.S. experienced a far less severe flu season during 2020-2021. With COVID-19 in full swing and vaccines just starting to become available, many schools were still closed with remote work more of the norm. In addition, widespread mask usage also certainly helped to keep the season on the mild end.

This changed dramatically with the 2021-22 flu season as the virus began running rampant again. A relaxing of the COVID-19 restriction and a return to life as usual for many areas translated to numbers on the rise again. An influx of international travel when compared to the previous year also contributed to the spread of the virus around the globe.

As such, it also makes sense that the 2022-23 season may be more severe. When compared to last year, people are even more relaxed about the COVID-19 virus. An increase in travel is also expected to make it easier for the virus to circulate.

How to Protect Yourself Against the Flu

Although you can never protect yourself entirely against the flu, health experts are in agreement that getting a flu vaccine is the best preventative measure. Keep in mind that influenza can be deadly for vulnerable populations, specifically the elderly.

Widespread influenza vaccination is the best line of defense to protect yourself and those around you. The CDC goal is for 70% of the adult American population to receive the vaccine. Unfortunately, these numbers tend to be lowest across different ethnic groups in the country. For instance, the latest data demonstrates that only 42.7% of Black Americans were vaccinated in 2021 with only 44.9% of Hispanics receiving their flu vaccine last year.

Medical professionals and government officials are launching campaigns to encourage Americans to get their flu vaccine at the same time that they get a COVID-19 booster shot this fall. Together, these two vaccinations can go a long way in supporting a healthier winter for everyone across the nation.

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