2019-12-07 16:38:19
The winter flu season in the United States is off to its earliest start in more than 15 years. Health officials say an early barrage of illness in the South has begun to spread more broadly, and there’s a decent chance flu season could peak much earlier than normal. Officials on Friday estimated that there have already been 1.7 million flu illnesses, 16,000 hospitalizations and 900 flu-related deaths. The last flu season to rev up this early was in 2003-2004. Some experts think the early start may mean a lot of suffering is in store, but others say it’s just too early to tell.