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A CUP OF HEALTH WITH CDC
Reporting on the Flu: Who, When, Where
Update: Influenza Activity — United States, September 30–December 1, 2007
December 20, 2007

[Announcer] This podcast is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC – safer,
healthier people.

[Matthew Reynolds] Welcome to A Cup of Health with CDC, a weekly broadcast of the
MMWR, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. I’m your host, Matthew Reynolds.
Nobody wants to get the flu and just about everyone has unpleasant memories of
getting really sick with the flu. It can be a serious illness and it’s important to do what we
can to prevent the spread of the flu. Dr. Anthony Fiore, a flu specialist with CDC, is here
to tell us about what we’re seeing so far with flu in the United States. Welcome to the
show, Dr. Fiore.

[Dr. Fiore] Thank you.

[Matthew Reynolds] Dr. Fiore, let’s start at the beginning. What’s the difference
between the flu and having a cold – and is that difference important?

[Dr. Fiore] The difference is important for several reasons. One is that we prevent the
flu with vaccines and we can also treat the flu with anti-virals. Influenza tends to be a
more serious illness than a garden variety sort of cold.

[Matthew Reynolds] So, how would you describe the differences between the two?

[Dr. Fiore] Influenza will typically have a sudden onset with fever and cough, and often
people will have a great deal of fatigue and muscle aches and often need to either skip
work or school for a few days.

[Matthew Reynolds] Where as with a cold, the symptoms may not be as severe?

[Dr. Fiore] That’s generally true, although of course, colds can be sometimes severe
and influenza can also be sometimes fairly mild.

[Matthew Reynolds] So, regardless of whether or not you think you have the flu or a
cold, you should consult your health care provider?

[Dr. Fiore] That’s reasonabe and that’s especially important. If you are prone to the
complications of influenza, for example elderly persons or very young children should
consult a health care provider to see whether they have the flu and whether there might
be something you can do about it, such as get an anti-viral medication.

[Matthew Reynolds] Let’s say you see your health care provider, they diagnose you
with having the flu. How are they usually treated?

[Dr. Fiore] Well, some people won’t require treatment at all or will present to their health
care provider too late to get effective treatment, but there are influenza anti-viral
medications, one of which is inhaled, the other which can be taken as a pill.

[Matthew Reynolds] So the sooner you seek treatment, the more effective the
medications could be in reversing the symptoms?

[Dr. Fiore] That’s absolutely true. The best data that we have shows that treatment is
most effective when it’s begun within 48 hours of the onset of the symptoms and the
sooner the better.

[Matthew Reynolds] What trends are you seeing in the 2007-2008 flu season?

[Dr. Fiore] Thus far, it’s been fairly slow, but this is pretty typical for this time of year.
Early December 2007 we’re seeing local activity in the United States in a couple of
states but overall, generally, activity remains low. We typically see the peak activity
early in the New Year, in January or February and we’ll see if that holds true this
season.

[Matthew Reynolds] I know the flu can be quite serious. Are there specific people or
circumstances that put people at higher risk of getting the flu?

[Dr. Fiore] Well, certainly, there are a number of risk factors for getting more severe flu.
Some of these are based on age - persons - elderly persons over the age of 65, and
particularly those in nursing homes, are prone to severe flu. And also young children,
particularly those under the age of two are at higher risk of being hospitalized with
influenza. But anyone with a chronic illness is also at higher risk of flu complications.

[Matthew Reynolds] For those people, I’m assuming then, that you would recommend
a flu shot to help prevent the onset of flu during the flu season?

[Dr. Fiore] Absolutely. At this point, about 72% of the U.S. population has a
recommendation for getting a flu vaccine, either because they’re elderly or because
they’re under the age of five or because they have a chronic medical condition that
makes them more prone to complications. Or another big group of people is people
who come into contact with those above groups, and these folks should get a flu shot to
help protect the more vulnerable.

[Matthew Reynolds] Are there some people who should avoid getting a flu shot or not
get one at all?

[Dr. Fiore] No, really, the flu shot is a good idea for anyone who wants to avoid the
complications of the flu. There are unusual circumstances - persons who have certain
neurologic illnesses, like Guillain-Barré’s sometimes are advised not to get a flu shot,
and also children under the age of six months of age can’t get a flu shot, but otherwise,
most people are eligible to get a flu shot.

[Matthew Reynolds] I hear this come up every year - every flu season. Someone will
say, “Well, I’m not going to get a flu shot because I’m concerned that I can get the flu
from it.” What’s your response to that?

[Dr. Fiore] Well, there have been a number of studies that have shown that that’s not
the case. I think what confuses people is sometimes people get flu shots right at the
beginning of the respiratory virus season, which is in the fall and winter, and so just by
coincidence, they pick up a respiratory virus right about the same time theyre getting
their shot. But it’s not related to the shot. You can’t get the flu from the flu shot and you
won’t get influenza from the inter-nasal vaccine either.

[Matthew Reynolds] Well, it’s December 2007 right now. Is it too late this year – in this
flu season - to get the flu shot?

[Dr. Fiore] No, it’s not. As I mentioned before, December we typically don’t see a lot of
activity in the United States and the flu activity doesn’t peak until January-February.
There’s still plenty of time to get a shot that would protect you against that time of peak
activity.

[Matthew Reynolds] If I get a flu shot this year, do I need to get one again next year –
next flu season?

[Dr. Fiore] Yes, you do, and that’s because influenza’s unique in that it changes its
composition frequently in such a way that you need a new flu shot each year. The flu
shot is specially designed to work against the strains that are most recently circulating in
the United States. So people who are advised to get a flu shot should do it every year
and not expect to get significant protection from a shot that they got in a previous
season.

[Matthew Reynolds] Where can our listeners go to get more information about
influenza?

[Dr. Fiore] Well, the CDC influenza website is a wonderful source of information. You
can get all sorts of things, including information about influenza activity in your region of
the country, information about influenza vaccine effectiveness and safety, and also
information about the anti-viral drugs which can be used to treat influenza.

[Matthew Reynolds] And that site is cdc.gov/flu?

[Dr. Fiore] That’s correct.

[Matthew Reynolds] Well, Dr. Fiore, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us
today.

[Dr. Fiore] It was a pleasure to be on the program.

[Matthew Reynolds] Well, that’s it for this week’s show. Don’t forget to join us next
week. Until then, be well. This is Matthew Reynolds for A Cup of Health with CDC.

[Announcer] To access the most accurate and relevant health information that affects you, your family
and your community, please visit www.cdc.gov.