• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
    • Clinical Trials Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Health Conditions / Colds and Flu / What’s New With the Flu? Here Are 7 Things to Know

What’s New With the Flu? Here Are 7 Things to Know

flu season

Don’t call it a comeback if it was never really gone, but the flu is poised for a breakout year. Like the killer in a horror movie franchise, this flu season is bringing fresh twists to a familiar theme. Here are seven things you should know to stay safe.

Early season

Several factors make this flu season unique, including an early start, says Dr. Ellen Eaton, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the flu hospitalization rate was the highest it has been in early November since 2010-11.

The early arrival bodes ill, says Dr. Margot Savoy, senior vice president for education, inclusiveness and physician well-being at the American Academy of Family Physicians in Washington, D.C. When cases surge early, that “usually means it’s going to be a rough season.”

The flu brought friends

In the COVID-19 winter of 2020-21, as many people took precautions such as wearing masks and avoiding gatherings, flu cases sank to levels too low for the CDC to measure. This year, as more people go back out and about, the two viruses will be mingling with them.

So will a third. RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, also is spiking this year. RSV causes cold-like symptoms but can be serious for infants and older adults.

The three viruses are entirely different and provide no cross-protection. “Prior COVID does not protect you from flu,” Eaton shares. “Prior flu does not protect you from RSV.”And having one strain of flu doesn’t even stop you from getting another later.

It’s scary as ever

Between 2010 and 2020, the flu killed between 12,000 and 52,000 people annually. As of the latest data from Nov. 19, the CDC estimates that the flu had already led to 53,000 hospitalizations and 2,900 deaths this season.

People may think of the flu as a respiratory ailment, but it goes beyond that. Flu can exacerbate existing medical conditions such as heart disease. “You end up having to make your heart work that much harder to get the oxygen around your body because your lungs aren’t doing a great job,” Savoy adds. A 2018 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the risk of having a heart attack was six times higher within a week of having the flu.

And Eaton says that every year, she and her colleagues see previously healthy children, parents and grandparents get sick and die. “Every year we’re saying, ‘I can’t believe it happened to this patient.'”

Many ignore the risks

Going unvaccinated in flu season might be the equivalent of the horror movie character who

Continue Reading

The Latest In Colds and Flu

medicine cabinet

6 Medicine Cabinet Essentials You Need Now

As we attempt to thrive during the winter months, there's a chance that the flu may hit you or your kid any day now. Stock up on the essentials that will get you through the tough times. Whether you need read more about 6 Medicine Cabinet Essentials You Need Now
immune system

The Best Soups to Kickstart Your Immune System

As the cold weather months bring a fall breeze, soothing soups offer cozy comfort and health benefits. Whether you’re fighting a cold or simply trying to stay warm, certain soups deliver the right kick to jumpstart your immune system.  Your read more about The Best Soups to Kickstart Your Immune System
how to not get sick

6 Habits of People Who Don’t Get Sick

Are you secretly envious of your co-workers and friends who, like superheroes, never seem to suffer from illnesses like colds and the flu? Come to think of it, some studies have found a small population of people who don't suffer read more about 6 Habits of People Who Don’t Get Sick
runny nose

Is Your Child’s Runny Nose Going on Forever? Here’s What You Need to Know

It might seem like your toddler or preschooler has a nose that is always runny, but experts say that's normal. "Children under 6 years of age average six to eight colds per year, with symptoms lasting an average of 14 read more about Is Your Child’s Runny Nose Going on Forever? Here’s What You Need to Know
cold and flu remedy

‘Tis The Season For THIS Cold & Flu Remedy

Cold & Flu season is in full swing! Check out how Chicago teacher, Johnetta, keeps healthy with a class full of 1st graders, a 4-year-old daughter, and grad school classmates. Here's her favorite cold & flu remedy, what's yours?
cold and flu remedy

Cold & Flu Remedies That Actually Work

Millions of Black Americans catch the flu every year, and many of us turn to the remedies of our elders to relieve symptoms. Colds can lead to bacterial infections, and the flu can cause serious, even fatal complications. Self-care methods read more about Cold & Flu Remedies That Actually Work

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • Mo’Nique at 55: Slimmer, Happier & Wiser: “I Love Us For Real”Mo'Nique at 55: Slimmer, Happier & Wiser: "I Love Us For Real"
  • Chef Babette Davis: Making 70+ Look Simply Delicious!Chef Babette Davis: Making 70+ Look Simply Delicious!
  • Taimak: The Last Dragon Lives 35+ Years Later!Taimak: The Last Dragon Lives 35+ Years Later!
  • Monica Calhoun at 51: “Exude Beauty Inside, Manifest It Outside”Monica Calhoun at 51: "Exude Beauty Inside, Manifest It Outside"
  • John David Washington: “They Tried To Use My Name Against Me”John David Washington: "They Tried To Use My Name Against Me"

Podcast

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.