Meanwhile, more than 1,000 pupils are missing from two California high schools due to suspected respiratory ailments.
NBC News: Flu Season Begins Early As CDC Warns of Potentially Severe Season
“We’ve seen that flu activity is beginning to grow over most of the nation,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Edwards, October 13)
CBS8.com: More than 1,000 students are absent, and a possible respiratory outbreak is being investigated at two San Diego County schools.
San Diego County Public Health Services is looking into a major, potential epidemic of respiratory and flu-like symptoms among Patrick Henry High School and Del Norte High School students. According to school administrators, the most common symptoms were fever, cough, and headache. (Handy, 10/13)
The New York Times: 4 Immune-Boosting Strategies for Cold and Flu Season
Dr. Helen Chu, an epidemiologist and infectious-disease physician at the University of Washington School of Public Health, says it’s a fallacy that merely being chilly increases your chances of becoming sick. However, viruses tend to spread more rapidly in drier, colder settings, resulting in winter increases. So now is the time to take your immunological health seriously. Here are four things health professionals recommend you do to prepare for autumn and winter surges. (Seo, 10/14)
