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Predicting the Flu Future: How will this year’s flu season be? We’ve been remarkably lucky for the past several years with very little activity and relatively mild strains. But if Australia and New Zealand’s experience this summer is any indication, this winter we may be in for a bad flu season:
Confirmed influenza cases reached 3,017 in the first seven months of the year, compared with 1,121 in 2006, according to the ministry’s notifiable disease surveillance system.
In July, 2,111 cases were confirmed by laboratory tests, the highest monthly tally in at least six years.
“Sadly, some influenza infections have resulted in deaths this season, including in a small number of children,'’ said John Horvath, Australia’s chief medical officer, in an e-mailed statement today.
The latest Australian flu data is available here. After peaking at the end of July and beginning of August, the number of cases has begun to decline. Our flu season in the northern hemisphere is often smilar to the southern hemisphere’s, just six months later. Look for our season to peak at the end of January and beginning of February - and plan your flu shot accordingly - in late October or early November.
P.S. There’s a Flu Wiki!
The Old West: Today we walked along the Western most border of the United States…..
…in 1798.
CORRECTION: It wasn’t the western most boundary, but as the plaque says, a point in the western boundary. After this treaty, the boundary stayed in northeast Ohio until it reached the Muskinghum River, then it veered westward to near the current Indiana border.
UPDATE: More pictures of the portage trail area here.
Google Surprise: Looking for varieties of morning glories on Google got this.
PSA: Looking for reliable up to date basic information on your prescription drugs? There’s a link in the left hand column to
Epocrates MedSearch Drug Lookup
, a public use version of the popular physician PDA tool, Epocrates.
