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The following questions and answers are from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and they help us to know what to expect from the flu season this year.

Questions & Answers

2011-21012 Influenza Season: Disease Activity

What sort of flu season is expected this year?

Flu seasons are unpredictable in a number of ways. Although epidemics of flu happen every year, the timing, severity, and length of the epidemic depends on many factors, including what influenza viruses are spreading and whether they match the viruses in the vaccine.

Will new strains of flu circulate this season?

Flu viruses are constantly changing so it’s not unusual for new flu virus strains to appear each year. For more information about how flu viruses change, visit How the Flu Virus Can Change.

When will flu activity begin and when will it peak?

The timing of flu is very unpredictable and can vary from season to season. Flu activity most commonly peaks in the U.S. in January or February. However, seasonal flu activity can begin as early as October and continue to occur as late as May.

What should I do to prepare for this flu season?

CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease. While there are many different flu viruses, the flu vaccine is designed to protect against the three main flu strains that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season. For information about which viruses this season’s vaccine will protect against visit Vaccine Selection for the 2011–2012 Season. Getting the flu vaccine as soon as it becomes available each year is always a good idea, and the protection you get from vaccination will last throughout the flu season.

How effective is the flu vaccine?

Inactivated influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) can vary from year to year and among different age and risk groups. For more information about vaccine effectiveness, visit How Well Does the Seasonal Flu Vaccine Work?

Will this season’s vaccine be a good match for circulating viruses?

It’s not possible to predict with certainty which flu viruses will predominate during a given season. Flu viruses are constantly changing (called drift) – they can change from one season to the next or they can even change within the course of one flu season. Experts must pick which viruses to include in the vaccine many months in advance in order for vaccine to be produced and delivered on time. (For more information about the vaccine virus selection process visit Selecting the Viruses in the Influenza (Flu) Vaccine.) Because of these factors, there is always the possibility of a less than optimal match between circulating viruses and the viruses in the vaccine.

How do we know if there is a good match between the vaccine viruses and those causing illness?

Over the course of a flu season CDC studies samples of flu viruses circulating during that season to evaluate how close a match there is between viruses in the vaccine and circulating viruses. In addition, CDC conducts vaccine effectiveness studies to determine how well the vaccine protects against illness. However, it’s important to remember that even during seasons when the vaccine is not optimally matched to predominant circulating viruses, CDC and other experts continue to recommend flu vaccine as the best way to protect against the flu. (continue reading…)

This short video reviews what you can do to make sure you don’t get the flu, including the new H1N1 flu, and how you can be sure not to spread the flu to others. Also, find out how to reduce your risk of becoming ill with an influenza virus.

Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Running Time: (1:47) Release Date: 10/30/2009

This article was originally published on CNN.com

By Elizabeth Cohen
CNN Senior Medical Correspondent

(CNN) — Next week, the long-awaited H1N1 vaccine is expected to arrive. At least three of the four vaccine makers have begun shipping their products to undisclosed distribution centers.

There are two types of the vaccine available: the flu shot, an inactivated vaccine containing fragments of killed influenza virus, and a nasal spray, which is made using a weakened live flu virus. The nasal spray will most likely be the first to be widely distributed, however certain groups, including pregnant women, young children and people with compromised immune systems, cannot receive the nasal spray.

So far officials of the National Institutes of Health say that in clinical trials they’ve seen no serious side effects and that study subjects who have been immunized have generated a good response.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccine for certain high-priority groups because they are more likely to have serious complications if they develop swine flu. These groups include: pregnant women; caregivers and household contacts of children younger than 6 months; everyone between the ages of 6 months and 24 years; and people ages 25 to 64 with existing health problems.

Even people who are not in these groups can get the vaccine. But now the vaccine is almost here, the question is, “Do you want it?” We looked through our Empowered Patient inbox and it turns out that many of our readers still have questions. We consulted a team of experts to get their answers, which are edited for brevity and clarity.

When can I expect the H1N1 vaccine to be available where I live?

While the first supplies of the H1N1 vaccine are due out next week, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be available in your city. Since only 6 million to 7 million doses are expected next week, you might have to look around for it at the beginning. However, federal health authorities have stressed that within the next few months there will be plenty of vaccine to go around; 75 million doses will be produced before the end of the year.

Where can I find the vaccine when it comes out?

Check with your doctor, your children’s school and your local public health department. Right now there’s no central list of locations where swine flu vaccine will be offered, but the Department of Health and Human Services plans on putting information on Flu.gov as soon as possible.

For more answers to questions, continue this story at CNN.com

Get CDC Weekly Updates on H1N1 Flu & Vaccine Situation via Webcast visit Flu.Gov Live

(article Via The Medical News photo source)

This flu season more than 2900 Rite Aid pharmacies are offering regular seasonal flu shots and starting September 1, flu shot locations and clinic dates will be available at www.riteaid.com and by calling toll-free 1-866-751-1494.

Many Rite Aid pharmacists have already been giving regular seasonal flu shots following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advice that anyone who wishes to reduce the risk of getting the regular seasonal flu get a flu shot as soon as they are available. More than 2,000 certified immunizing pharmacists in more than 1,500 Rite Aid stores will give regular seasonal flu shots now and throughout the flu season. After locating a Rite Aid store with an immunizing pharmacist at www.riteaid.com or toll-free 1-866-751-1494, customers should call the store to check if appointments are necessary. Rite Aid pharmacists also can counsel customers and answer questions about both the regular seasonal flu and H1N1 flu.

Nurses will be giving regular seasonal flu shots on a first come, first served basis at flu shot clinics in more than 1,800 Rite Aid stores from September 23 through mid-December. Clinic locations will be available September 1 at www.riteaid.com or by calling toll-free 1-866-751-1494. (continue reading…)