The flu season has begun early this year, and it could be bad. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prepare a map of flu prevalence each week.
For last week, it showed widespread infections in several states, including Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina and Florida. All states are reporting some influenza activity, including regional or local outbreaks.
Holiday travel could spread flu viruses even further and faster.
One of the circulating strains is type A influenza, H3N2. It is causing severe illness and is expected to be responsible for a substantial number of deaths this winter. That is exacerbated because the H3N2 has mutated and no longer matches up well to the strain represented in the flu vaccination.
