NATION : Flu Season Worst Since ‘84-85
The 1989-90 flu season could turn out to be the worst in five years, the national Centers for Disease Control said today.
And the dominant strain--Type A-H3N2, or the “Shanghai flu”--is one that hits especially hard against older people, who probably are not vaccinated, according to a CDC report.
In the average influenza season, flu kills about 20,000 Americans. But in 1984-85, the last year in which A-H3N2 was so predominant, about 57,000 people died.
“This year looks to me like the worst year since 1984-85,” said Dr. Walter Gunn, a CDC flu specialist.
The U.S. flu season, which peaked in late January and early February, featured almost exclusively the Shanghai flu--one of three components in the current flu vaccine, recommended for people older than 65 or patients with ailments such as diabetes or kidney disease.
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