SDecember 4, 2012 (USA TODAY) -- This year's flu season is
starting earlier and hitting harder than it has in almost a
decade, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
"This is at least a month earlier than we would generally see
the beginning of the uptick," CDC Director Thomas Frieden said
Monday. Worse, the flu strains circulating in the United States
this year, especially the N3N2 version, tend to cause more
severe disease, he said. The good news is that this year's flu
vaccine is a 90% match for the circulating strains. "So we're
particularly encouraging people who haven't been vaccinated to
do it," he said. The prime flu season is October through April.
It usually peaks after the new year -- in January, February or
later -- said Melinda Wharton, who directs the CDC's National
Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. One sign the
flu season has been launched: More than 2.2% of all visits to
the doctor are for flu-like illnesses. In non-flu months, about
1% of doctor visits are for fl