Winter means flu season, only this time, the risks are much greater than expected. Usually the flu season starts in December and eventually trickles to a close toward the end of February. This year is different because there are more Americans developing the flu, which is leading scientists to consider this season an “epidemic.”

When one patient arrived in America with Ebola, people reacted irrationally as soon as they found out.  More citizens of the United States have been worried about contracting the Ebola virus than the flu.

The last flu epidemic occurred in 2009, with 18,449 deaths due to the pH1N1. (The “p” stands for pandemic.)  According to an NPR article, new estimates of deaths in that flu season could be higher than 200,000.

The 2014 vaccine is not effective because this year’s strain is not the same as last year’s.  The flu strain morphs from year to year.  Scientists select the strain to create the vaccine using a “best guess” method.

The Washington Post reported that the vaccine is only about 23% effective.

“The flu shot from last season will most likely not prevent the flu that is prevalent this season,” said Jenifer Waters, a health service specialist with Frederick County’s Health Department.

How can you protect yourself from the flu? Waters recommends looking at the CDC website which suggests everyone from the age of 6 months and older to receive a yearly flu vaccine as the first line of defense against developing any type of flu illnesses.

Stay away from people that look sick. Wash your hands frequently to reduce the spread of germs. If you are sick, stay home, and do not attend any activities that involve contaminating others. One way to attack the flu before it can effect you is to use Tamiflu to treat influenza in people 2 weeks of age and older who have had flu symptoms for 2 days or less.

LHS school nurse, Tatiana Partch, says that visits to the school health room have increased.  When students are ill, they are staying out of school longer than the normal one or two days.  Many students tell how they were sick over the winter holiday.

“All my friends at Oakdale High got sick over break, and then I got sick from them,” said senior Erik Chapman.  “It was a coughing flu.  I was really sick for two days, but I had to cough for about a week after.”

“Influenza viruses are constantly changing over time as they replicate, so, it is always possible for new viruses to circulate,” said Waters. Waters ensures that it is very important to receive a flu shot every year.

Treanor, chief of the infectious diseases division at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York explains how 60 to 70 percent of people or more would need to get vaccinated to produce true “herd immunity,” preventing the spread of influenza through a community. This would extinguish the virus, similar to how Salk’s vaccine eradicated Polio, and how modern medicine has killed off Smallpox.