Flu Season 2017-2018

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Shutterstock / Sherry Yates Youn

Ethan Samet, Editor
February 5, 2018

As many people, not just in our school but around the country, have noticed, this year’s flu season has been worse than most. Whether it’s teachers, parents, or friends it seems that everyone is getting sick. An amalgamation of a less effective vaccination shot, public skepticism of vaccines, and a strengthening of viruses across the board due to our frequent use of antibiotics has led to a particularly deadly season this year. Some have compared this year’s flu season to the flu epidemic of 1918 which seems to be a bit of an exaggeration but when looking at the breadth of its effect may not be as ludicrous as some think.

The flu epidemic of 1918 killed millions of people ending up with a higher body count than World War I. Obviously this year’s flu seasons is nowhere near this bad thanks to better hygiene practices and advances in medical technology but it’s one of the worst seasons in recent times. This season’s dominant strain of the flu is known by the CDC as H3N2. While this season’s vaccine effectivity statistics are not out yet, as the season isn’t over yet, researchers estimate that the vaccine this year has only been 30% effective which is the leading factor of why the season is so bad this year. Another factor as to why this season is so bad is because of the population’s skepticism about vaccines. Many incorrectly believe that the vaccine can give a person the flu or that it causes mental disabilities. These are both myths and are in no way true. Vaccinations contain nearly dead strains of the sickness and are used to put your immune system on alert for the disease. There is no evidence of them causing mental disability while the chances of getting sick from one are astronomically low. Yet another factor as to why this season’s flu is so bad is the fact that many sicknesses and disease have started to build up an immunity to the antibiotics we use which further decreases our ability to fight infections.

This year is on track to equal or surpass the statistics of the 2014-2015 flu season. In the 2014-2015 flu season 34 million people got the flu, 710,000 were hospitalized and about 56,000 deaths with 148 of those being child deaths. This year’s season has already lead to the deaths of 37 children and hundreds of adults. So if you haven’t got your vaccination yet please do so as soon as possible and make sure to use your elbow to cover sneezes or coughs while washing your hands and staying cleanly as much as possible to help combat this year’s flu epidemic.

 

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