Patients this fall may be wondering about the flu season and whether or not they are at risk for a prolonged flu season. The answer to that question varies as patients could be in for a shorter or longer flu season. 

Each year, the flu season starts in the fall and lasts until the end of winter or early spring. But flu seasons are not all alike since some can begin in the first week of September. For the 2019-2020 flu season, patients will want to ensure that they are ready to prepare for the flu regardless of how long the flu season lasts. 

And remember, the one constant each year is that the flu is likely to start spreading in your local communities. When this happens, make sure you get your updated flu shot ASAP! 

In general, flu season starts in the fall, peaks in mid-October, and concludes by winter

General patterns for flu season over the last couple of decades indicate that the influenza virus peaks in October and begins to die out in the wintertime. Historically, most patients will benefit from getting flu shots and flu treatment before the end of September. 

Most people are likely to spread the flu from one to another as individuals spend more time indoors. In the fall, the temperatures are just right for the flu to spread to patients and are even more likely to spread in crowded public spaces like schools and offices. 

Flu season can sometimes start early and last into the spring!

Patients could be exposed to an early flu season in 2019-2020 since recent years have seen flu season begins in the middle of September! An especially aggressive flu strain may even last into the early spring season of the following year. 

The flu virus adapts and changes each year in order to infect as many potential hosts as possible. This means that a new flu vaccine has to be created and that the flu could be more or less virulent on a year-by-year basis. Because the flu varies in between seasons, it is important to get your flu shot ASAP! 

Even though the flu season hasn’t officially begun, you could be at risk for the flu!

Flu season is a specially designated time of the year where patients expect certain cases of the virus to likely spread. However, just because the flu season hasn’t been officially announced it doesn’t mean patients aren’t at risk for the flu. 

Flu cases can spread unexpectedly, which means that getting an early flu shot is the best possible prevention method for patients!