Predominant Flu Strain Particularly Dangerous to Elderly

A recent USA Today report says the flu, which is always more dangerous for elderly people, is even more dangerous this year due to the predominant strain of the virus.

That prevalent flu strain, H3N2, has not circulated much since 2005, so people have little immunity to it unless they were vaccinated this year.

But it's not too late to get a flu shot, the report says, and several more weeks of the flu season are still ahead. 

If people, especially the elderly, start to feel ill, they should contact their doctor quickly, Michael Jhung, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in the report. Antiviral drugs, taken within 48 hours of the onset of the flu, are helpful in preventing complications and keeping people out of the hospital, he added.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers the following information:

• Who should get vaccinated
• When to get vaccinated
• Selecting a flu vaccine
• Symptoms, complications and severity
• Treatment if you get the flu
• How flu spreads