Flu season waning; young adults hit hard

Associated Press

ATLANTA

Flu season seems to be winding down, and it’s been an odd one.

It hasn’t been as bad as last year, and the vaccine worked a little better. And it has been a fairly mild one for the elderly — traditionally the most vulnerable group.

But it’s been a different story for young and middle-age adults, who have been hit harder than expected because of a surge in swine flu.

Most flu seasons, only one-third of the people who land in the hospital with the flu are adults age 18-64. This winter, they have accounted for two-thirds, most of them adults who were obese or had another ailment.

The numbers “are painful reminders that flu can be serious for anyone, not just infants and the very old,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC released new information Thursday about the flu season, which started around mid-December, a bit earlier than usual, and apparently peaked by mid-January.