With a new year ahead of us, and our mistakes from 2024 in the past, we unfortunately aren’t leaving behind seasonal sickness…
Flu season tends to spike around December, before petering out in February, and this winter’s reports from NYC DOHMH show similar data so far for flu season 2024-2025.
According to NYC DOHMH, for the second to last week of 2024, ending on December 21st, 2024 (week 51), positive cases of the flu spiked 73% from the previous week (week 50). The official Influenza and RSV Surveillance Report accounts for 7,966 Influenza-positive specimens, 83% positive for Influenza A and 10% for Influenza B.
Influenza A is much more common that Influenza B, which mutates much slower. Influenza A can affect both humans and animals; meanwhile, Influenza B primarily affects humans. Both types, however, have similar human symptoms.
Symptoms of the flu, ranging from mild to extreme, can include a cough, nasal congestion, a sore throat, body aches, fatigue, chills, a fever, diarrhea, chest pain, shortness of breath, severe dizziness and so on.
Of NYC’s weekly visits during week 51, 8% were for Influenza-like illness. The flu is a common virus, especially during the winter months, that infects up to one billion people each year, according to World Health Organization (WHO).
NYC DOHMH also tracks RSV, which is can affect any age group, but primarily harms infants and younger children. NYC experienced a 3% decrease from week 50 to week 51, with 4,647 specimens testing positive for the virus. Though both RSV and the flu are respiratory illnesses, they are of different viruses.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that getting the flu vaccine is the best way to reduce your risk of the flu. You can use NYC’s Vaccine Finder to discover where to get a flu shot near you. Plus, you can explore the weekly amount of flu cases and hospitalizations across New York with the New York State Flu Tracker.
Stay safe, NYC!