All articles tagged with #flu
Doctors report a summer uptick in COVID-19 cases with atypical symptoms, notably gastrointestinal issues like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, often alongside flu. While fevers and respiratory symptoms persist, stomach-related symptoms are increasingly common. Officials say back-to-school season is contributing to activity. Most symptoms can be managed at home with fluids and fever reducers, but seek care for dehydration or severe symptoms.
Georgia doctors report a rise in COVID-19 cases presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea alongside flu-like symptoms. It’s unclear whether a new variant is driving the change, but hospitalizations remain lower than past peaks. Vaccines are emphasized, and families are advised to treat fever and dehydration at home while seeking care for severe symptoms.
As kids head back to school, mixed messages around vaccine policy—including a Trump executive order and stalled advisory timelines—add confusion, but experts emphasize continuing routine immunizations. Updated flu and COVID vaccines will be available and generally covered by insurance. CDC data show kindergarten vaccination rates declined in 2025-2026, raising concerns about measles and pertussis outbreaks as classrooms reopen. Public health groups stress vaccines are safe, effective, and essential, urging families to follow established immunization schedules.
Florida health officials say flu season typically starts in fall, with the CDC recommending most people get vaccinated in September or October for best protection; August vaccination can be considered for certain groups (young children, pregnant people in late pregnancy), but protection may wane if done too early. Vaccines are widely available at pharmacies such as Walgreens, CVS, and Publix, with costs varying by insurance; Florida notes season timing can vary year to year and emphasizes aiming for vaccination by late October.
The FDA has approved Moderna’s first mRNA-based flu vaccine for adults 50 and over, after an advisory panel’s unanimous vote, with the shot expected to be sold at retailers in coming weeks; the decision comes amid controversy and skepticism from RFK Jr. and expands flu-immunization options.
Provisional CDC data show the U.S. death rate fell to a record low last year, helped by fewer overdose deaths, while flu and pneumonia rose to become the eighth-leading cause of death; heart disease and cancer remain the top killers.
A 14-year-old girl from Kerrville, Texas, diagnosed with the flu, developed life-threatening bacterial infections (strep pneumonia and sepsis) that progressed to necrotizing pneumonia and multi-organ failure. After a 117-day hospitalization, she underwent amputation of her right arm and both legs, now uses prosthetics and requires inpatient rehab; a GoFundMe was launched to cover medical bills, prosthetics, and home modifications.
A Daily Kos community post highlights a JAMA Network Open study showing people with multiple sclerosis can safely receive live attenuated MMR and varicella vaccines without relapse, while also compiling a wide range of infectious-disease updates, such as outbreaks and vaccine policy discussions.
A flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas sickened nearly 300 recruits (four hospitalized; one recruit died in a military hospital, though its link to the flu is unclear). The Pentagon reinstated the annual flu vaccine mandate for all recruits across the military, reversing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s earlier move to make vaccines optional. Exemptions had been approved after the policy shift, but vaccination rates among incoming trainees had fallen, prompting the policy U-turn and a focus on readiness and herd-immunity considerations.
After more than 200 flu cases at Lackland Air Force Base, the Air Force has reinstated a flu vaccination requirement for basic training recruits, reversing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s earlier scrapping of the mandate; as of June 19 there were 222 cases (four hospitalizations). Exemptions had been allowed, and medical teams are isolating and treating the sick, with the goal of vaccinating all incoming recruits to safeguard readiness.
A flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas sickened more than 200 airmen and trainees, prompting vaccination efforts after the Pentagon ended the annual flu vaccine mandate; the base sought exemptions to mandate vaccines, but has begun vaccinating and isolating affected personnel, with medical teams treating patients with antivirals like Tamiflu and monitoring close contacts to protect readiness.
About 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have contracted influenza over roughly three weeks, a major outbreak that follows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s rollback of the yearly flu-shot requirement for service members.
An influenza outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio sickened about 159 recruits after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ended mandatory flu vaccination, making vaccination optional with roughly 40% uptake; crowded dormitory-style living facilitates spread, a basic trainee's death is under investigation, and overall adult flu vaccination coverage this season was around 46%.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military will drop the universal annual flu vaccine mandate, allowing troops to opt in if they choose. He framed the move as ending an overly broad requirement to strengthen war-fighting capabilities, while public health experts warn it could weaken readiness by increasing flu cases, missed duty days and costs.
Flu, COVID-19 (including BA.3.2), RSV and norovirus are circulating this spring; their symptoms overlap, so you need a test to know which virus you have. Local wastewater data and community trends help gauge which virus is dominant where you live, and vaccination or boosters may be advised based on personal risk and local conditions.