The flu is now widespread in 46 states in the US, affecting more than 8,500 people, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of last week, Flu-related death rates were just under epidemic levels at 6.7 percent of all deaths in the US.
So far, 13 children have died of the flu, and in California alone it has killed at least 27 otherwise healthy adults.
Experts anticipate this to be a particularly bad year, as the flu season came early and is far from over.
The flu has reached widespread status in all but 6 states in the US, and nearly half of the country is seeing ‘high’ flu activity (red), according to the latest CDC data
The strain of the flu in the US this year is very similar to the so-called ‘Aussie flu’ and to the variation that killed 20,000 people in the US during the 2014-2015 flu season.
Vaccines against this year’s particularly deadly, predominant strain, A H3N2, are estimated to only be about 30 percent effective.
Flu shots are made from whatever strain of the virus scientists think is most likely to be common in the coming year.
They guessed the strain correctly, but when the vaccine is developed in chicken eggs it can mutate, becoming an imperfect match for the virus it is meant to prevent.
H3N2 is known for causing more severe flu symptoms and mutates more quickly than other strains, making it hard to predict and treat.