Unusual Type of Virus Is Dominating Early Start to the Year’s Flu Season

The 2019-2020 flu season is up and running—and so far, it's off to a weird start.

Flu activity has been elevated since the start of November and is only expected to continue climbing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports in its latest flu update. That's a few weeks earlier than in past years.

Flu season in the United States can ramp up in the fall and peak anywhere between December and March, then drag itself out as late as May. In the last 36 years, flu most often ramped up in December and January and peaked in February. But for this winter, the CDC says there's a 40 percent chance the flu will peak in December based on activity so far.

The Annual Flu Shot: Is It Necessary?

It’s particularly important for certain groups of people, such as older adults, healthcare workers, and pregnant women, to make sure they get their flu shot.

Here Is why You Really Need a Flu Shot

The vaccine's ability to prevent flu cases last year hovered around 44 percent overall; it was about 59 percent effective in young children and just 16 percent in adults over 65.