Do You Need a Flu Shot?

Flu seasons are notoriously unpredictable, but there are already clues that the upcoming season may be especially difficult.

Flu season in the Southern Hemisphere can be an indication of what’s to come in the Northern Hemisphere, and the recent flu season in Australia, where winter has just ended, arrived early and with a vengeance. A particularly virulent flu strain, H3N2, dominated.

What’s more, a pediatric flu death has already been reported in the U.S. — a 4 year old in California who had underlying health problems.

“We should never forget that the flu still kills,” Dr. Cameron Kaiser, a public health officer for Riverside County, California, said in a news release announcing the death.

Excerpted from NBC News

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