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Flu Season Is Starting: Here's What You Need To Know

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- The CDC has issued a report of what people should know for the 2015-2016 influenza season:

The CDC has issued a report of what people should know for the 2015-2016 influenza season.

The CDC has issued a report of what people should know for the 2015-2016 influenza season.

Photo Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  • What sort of flu season is expected this year?
It’s not possible to predict what this flu season will be like. Flu seasons are unpredictable in a number of ways. While flu spreads every year, the timing, severity, and length of the season varies from one year to another, according to a report on cdc.gov.
  • Will new flu viruses circulate this season?

Flu viruses are constantly changing so it's not unusual for new flu viruses to appear each year, cdc.gov said.

  • Will the United States have a flu epidemic?

The United States experiences epidemics of seasonal flu each year. This time of year is called "flu season." In the United States, flu season occurs in the winter; flu outbreaks can happen as early as October and can last as late as May. CDC says the flu season begins when certain key flu indicators (for example, levels of influenza-like illness (ILI), hospitalization and deaths) rise and remain elevated for a number of consecutive weeks. Usually ILI increases first, followed by an increase in hospitalizations, which is then followed by increases in flu-associated deaths, cdc.gov said

  • When will flu activity begin and when will it peak?

The timing of flu is very unpredictable and can vary in different parts of the country and from season to season. Most seasonal flu activity typically occurs between October and May. Flu activity most commonly peaks in the United States between December and February, cdc.gov said.

Read the full report here.

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