MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
This year's flu season is shaping up to be a particularly bad one.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Yeah, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released the latest numbers on how influenza is spreading across the country, and, well, it's not a pretty picture.
MARTIN: NPR's Gabrielle Emanuel is with us now to tell us more about this. Gabrielle, thank you so much for joining us.
GABRIELLE EMANUEL, BYLINE: Hi.
MARTIN: How bad is it?
EMANUEL: Well, if you look at the CDC map, a lot of the country is showing up the highest level of flu activity, particularly the Eastern Seaboard, the Midwest, the South. The CDC estimates there have been 7.5 million cases so far this season, up from some 4 million just the week before. And remember; the flu can be deadly. There have already been more than 3,000 deaths this season. Lisa Grohskopf is a medical officer at the CDC.
LISA GROHSKOPF: We anticipate that we are not at the peak and that we're probably going to see increases in the coming weeks.
EMANUEL: Experts say the virus is moving, and they expect the entire country to see high case counts soon.
MARTIN: So what's driving this surge?
EMANUEL: Well, one big factor is a new strain called subclade K. It's caused huge number of cases from Australia to Japan to the U.K. Here is Florian Krammer of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
FLORIAN KRAMMER: Because it changed, there's less immunity to it, and that's allowing the virus to spread very quickly and extensively.
EMANUEL: The good news is it doesn't seem to be more severe or dangerous and our treatments still work against it. But the genetic changes in the virus mean the flu vaccine this year is a bit of a mismatch. That's because the vaccine had already been formulated before this strain emerged. However, early data from the U.K. suggests that the vaccine is still quite effective at keeping people from getting so sick they end up in the hospital.
MARTIN: OK, so it doesn't keep you from getting the flu, but it does keep you from getting so sick.
EMANUEL: Right.
MARTIN: OK. So this year, there's been a lot of upheaval at the CDC. I think a lot of people may remember that. Is their flu data still considered accurate?
EMANUEL: Yes, both people outside and inside the agency have told me that the quality of the data looks good. But some have raised concerns about the lack of a strong flu vaccination campaign from the federal government. Here's Andrew Pekosz of John Hopkins University.
ANDREW PEKOSZ: I think a lack of a real push for influenza vaccines through agencies like the CDC could be contributing to some of the reduced vaccination rates that we're seeing.
EMANUEL: Adult flu vaccination rates are just above 40%. That number's been trending down for several years. The CDC's Grohskopf told me getting vaccinated was one of the most important things you can do. But I should add, I got a follow-up email from a different CDC spokesperson saying vaccines are a personal choice and that people should speak to their health care providers about the risks and benefits.
MARTIN: So in addition to vaccines, what else can people do?
EMANUEL: All the basic precautions, like hand-washing and masking, do work. And it's good to remember there are antiviral treatments, and they work best if you get them early - within the first two days of symptoms. So getting one of those at-home rapid tests for flu can be a good idea, and knowing how to contact a provider just in case you need a prescription is also a good idea.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Gabrielle Emanuel. Gabrielle, thank you so much.
EMANUEL: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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