DailyDirt: The Flu Season Is Here...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Thu, Jan 17th 2013 5:00pm — Michael Ho

This year's flu season seems to be unusually miserable and widespread. One of the flu strains getting passed around this year hasn't been seen for a few years, so people's immune system resistance to it may be weak. If you haven't caught the bug yet, here are just a few links that could help you avoid it -- or just tell you more about what the flu actually is.

The Khan academy has a lesson on what the flu is, making sure everyone knows the difference between the flu and a cold. It'd be cool to see online classes for all kinds of medical information -- and maybe even medical degree badges....? [url]
The 2013 flu vaccine wards against three strains: H3N2, H1N1 and Influenza B. However, the vaccine this year has been labeled only "moderately effective" by the CDC. [url]
Flu season comes around during the winter generally and not spring, summer or fall. But why? It could be the humidity; the flu virus survives well in warm, low-humidity air -- just like the conditions in most homes in the winter. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

Filed Under: flu, flu season, health, humidity, khan academy, sickness, vaccine, virus
Companies: cdc

5 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2013 @ 5:34pm

Are there climates where the flu doesn't exist?
So do temperate islands with relatively high humidity (but not >98% humidity) experience no flu season at all? (And is Australia's flu season related our the northern hemisphere in any way?)
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2013 @ 5:39pm

The Flu Season Is Here...

Really?

Day late on this report, or should I say a few months late.
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McCrea (profile), 17 Jan 2013 @ 6:12pm

Mummy never gets the flu
So, one of the best things we can do is reduce our internal humidity to between 50 and 98%. Eat more desiccants!
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2013 @ 5:19am

Every year the flu season is hyped as though it were the worst ever. What ever happened in that story about the boy who cried wolf?

The media love to trot out the number of deaths in order to sensationalize the story and possibly encourage people to get shots, someone is making a bunch of money - no? Have a look at the CDC graph - this year looks to be as expected - go figure.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm#MS
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shadow, 18 Jan 2013 @ 9:46am

I though that was already settled. The reason that flu is more common in winter is the same reason that colds are more common.

Cold weather causes stay inside in close proximity to other people. If anyone is sick the virus can more easily pass from one person to the next.
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