Influenza, commonly known as “the flu,” is a respiratory virus responsible for causing sickness in anywhere from 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population each year.1 For most of us, getting the flu means experiencing symptoms such as fever, malaise, body aches, cough and sore throat. However, for those who are more vulnerable, such as young children, older adults, immunocompromised individuals, and people with certain chronic health problems, the flu can be more serious and can lead to complications requiring hospitalization.
The flu is highly contagious. The best way to protect yourself and those around you from the influenza virus is by getting an annual flu shot. The flu season runs from October through April of each year, with peak activity often occurring in January or slightly later. Although the ideal time to get a flu shot is between October and mid-November, vaccination can occur anytime during the flu season.
Two types of flu viruses are responsible for seasonal flu epidemics each year; they are influenza type A and influenza type B. Maryland EIP has been performing surveillance in the Baltimore metropolitan area for hospitalized cases of influenza types A & B for adults since 2005 and for children since 2003. Since April 2009, surveillance for adult and pediatric hospitalized cases of the 2009 H1N1 strain has been ongoing.
For more information about influenza and influenza vaccines, please visit the following sites:
Maryland Epidemiology & Control Flu Information Page
Maryland Influenza Surveillance Website
CDC Seasonal Flu Website
CDC Vaccine Statement page for Live, intranasal influenza vaccine
CDC Vaccine Statement page for Inactive influenza vaccine
Image courtesy of the CDC Public Health Image Library
Maryland Emerging Infections Program/ABCs
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Candler Building
111 Market Place, Suite 850, Room 8546
Baltimore, MD 21202
Phone: 410-223-1810
Fax: 410-223-1815
Email: mdabcs@jhsph.edu |
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