Are We Prepared for the Next Flu Pandemic?
Despite some strides, like improved worldwide disease surveillance, experts say we’re vulnerable.
By Michael O. Schroeder, Staff Writer |Jan. 18, 2018, at 10:55 a.m.
As of this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports there’s widespread seasonal flu activity in every state in the continental U.S. Though calling seasonal flu an epidemic – as it’s currently dubbed – isn’t uncommon, the reach of the current outbreak exceeds what the CDC has seen in more than a dozen years of tracking seasonal flu.
Influenza, a contagious respiratory illness that can cause symptoms like body aches and a scratchy throat, can be mild to severe. For those who are most vulnerable – like older adults and individuals who have a compromised immune system – there’s an even graver concern: Though its familiarity may lead some to ignore the threat, in less common cases, flu can even cause death.
https://health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/articles/2018-01-18/are-we-prepared-for-the-next-flu-pandemic