BUFFALO, N.Y. — The flu is now "prevalent" across New York, prompting state health officials to warn the public that now is the time to get the vaccine.
At this point during last year's flu season, the virus was almost non-existent across much of the country. Now it is regional or widespread in the majority of states.
In New York, there are already 1,820 lab-confirmed cases of the flu, and they have resulted in 612 people going to the hospital.
The most common strain this year is H3N2, which can be one of the most dangerous types of the virus.
Last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned that we could be in for a severe season due to what happened "Down Under."
Because Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, its flu season is pretty much over. It was one of the worst in many years, in part because the vaccine was only effective against the H3N2 (Influenza A) only about 10 percent of the time.
Dr. Thomas Russo, an infectious disease specialist with UBMD Internal Medicine, said it's too early to know if the vaccine will be as ineffective here in the United States.
"The isolate so far identified of that same type in the United States seems to be a much greater match for the vaccine," Dr. Russo explained. "And so it's too early to tell for sure. The hope and the likelihood is that our vaccine will be much more efficacious this season."
Dr. Russo said even if the vaccine were only 10 percent effective, everyone should still get the shot, especially those at high risk, including the elderly, children age 6 months to 2 years, pregnant women and people with underlying health conditions.
He also pointed out it's especially important to be vaccinated during the holidays, when a lot of germs are spread due to all the travel.
"Every Christmas season, people bring home more than gifts, and influenza is one of the gifts that comes back to Buffalo as everyone comes from all around the world to visit family," Dr. Russo said. "So please, this is the time to go ahead and get vaccinated and protect yourself."
Dr. Russo reminds everyone that once an adult gets the vaccine, it takes about 2 weeks for it to become fully effective. For children, it's even longer. Infants under 6 months old cannot get the vaccine, so it's especially important for people who will be around small children to be immunized.