Thought you only had to deal with allergies these days? Well, maybe you've noticed some friends or work colleagues calling in sick lately—that may be because there's another flu strain making the rounds.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, influenza B is accounting for 55% of all viruses nationally. And a map shows that the severe influenza cases are widespread in New York state, as well as Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Although the CDC says, as of April 26th, NYC was experiencing "minimal" influenza-like illness activity, MyFoxNY reported yesterday, "The Lenox Hill Hospital emergency room has definitely seen a spike lately in the number of patients with the flu, which is unusual for this time of year. What's worse, the type of flu going around is a serious one."
Influenza B is different from influenza A, so you could get the flu twice. But if you got a flu shot, you should be covered—the shot's vaccine included influenza A, two strains of influenza B and H1N1 virus. And if you haven't gotten a flu shot, consider it! Also wash your hands, cover your sneezes, etc.
