Particularly Nasty Flu is a Killer

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

The U.K. Independent is reporting that the fatalities from this year's flu season is worse than normal.  According to their headline: 100 people a week dying in US as virus continues to spread.

I came down with it about a week before Christmas, and I am finally rid of most of its lingering effects a month later.  The cough became so intense, in my case, that I tore my oblique muscle, currently evidenced by soreness and visible signs of bruising.  At one point you could feel half a dozen balled up nodules along my side, and with each cough it felt like a hot poker was being thrust into my side.

While I did not suffer too heavily from the symptoms of aches and warmth, the cough and upper-respiratory infection was brutal.  It attacked my sinuses and lungs.

The flu virus causing all of this has been nicknamed the "Aussie Flu", and between October 7 and Christmas, 759 people died in the US due to the flu.  The rate of hospital admissions for flu has doubled since the start of the year, and in my home town, my doctor could not schedule me for two weeks if I was to come into his office.

A heavy regiment of Vitamin C, B12, Zinc, and other immune system building helpers, as well as Mucinex DM, finally knocked it out.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the flu has continued its rampage, killing about 100 people per week since mid-December.  It is possible that as the flu season reaches its merciful final sprint, that number could go up for a moment in time.

When compared to last year, the number of deaths has doubled.

An increase in the number of reported cases of the flu during the winter is common and usually peaks around Christmas and New Year when more people are travelling and spreading illness.

This year’s prevailing strain H3N2 is not only known to be particularly vicious and strong, but can spread by mere breath.

The flu has also hit other parts of the world.  In the United Kingdom, 149 people have died with about 4,500 people being hospitalized per week according to recent numbers.

Authorities recommend the flu shot, but some blame the shot for this year's epidemic, claiming its efficiency badly missed the mark.  Sometimes, a shot's efficiency can be as low as 10%.

Sometimes, determining which flu strains to guard against is simply an educated guess ... and sometimes, that guess is wrong.  Even worse, sometimes the guess is right, but the virus mutated in such a way that the immunization still winds up ineffective.

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