Though flu season usually doesn’t end until April, it’s OK to breathe a small sigh of relief–just don’t do it in somebody else’s face. Fears of a pandemic did not come true. Here’s what health-minded Chicagoans need to know:
– VACCINE DIDN’T MATCH: Although the flu vaccine didn’t match the predominant strain that has been making people sick, the results were not catastrophic.
– AVERAGE SEASON: The winter of 2003-04 has had a flu season much like any other. The difference is that the peak of the influenza outbreak occurred about three weeks earlier than usual.
– DEATHS DECREASE: Influenza-related illnesses have killed two Illinois children this season; by contrast, 26 kids ages 4 and younger died in Illinois in 2001. Nationally, there was a small increase in flu- and pneumonia-related deaths.
Sources: Illinois Department of Public Health; U.S. Centers for Disease Control; Northwestern University professor Robert Lamb
