influenza

A second wave of flu is hitting the U.S., turning this into one of the nastiest seasons for children in a decade. The number of child deaths and the hospitalization rate for youngsters are the highest seen at this point in any season since the severe flu outbreak of 2009-10, health officials said Friday. And the wave is expected...

Doctors in Orange County describe the flu season in the area as “widespread” and say Californians are suffering through an illness that can still be prevented. Doctors say it’s still not too late to get the flu vaccine, even though the flu season is ramping up earlier than normal. Experts say the other thing driving this flu season is...

The flu continues to spread across the U.S., with elevated activity in nearly every state. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported widespread flu in 30 states — mostly on the West Coast, along the southern border, and in the Mid-Atlantic states. The CDC estimates there have been at least 3.7 million flu cases so far this...

Ten people at an Oklahoma care facility for people with intellectual disabilities were hospitalized after they were apparently accidentally injected with what’s believed to be insulin rather than flu shots, authorities said. Emergency responders were called Wednesday afternoon to the Jacquelyn House in Bartlesville, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Tulsa, on a report of an unresponsive person and...

There have been multiple cases of influenza reported at the San Diego migrant shelter, according to a spokesperson for the county.

A Santa Ana woman died this month from complications related to the flu, prompting Orange County officials to emphasize the importance of getting flu shots Thursday.

A 4-year-old died from complications stemming from influenza — the first pediatric flu-related death in Riverside County this season, health officials said Wednesday.

Riverside County health officials say a 4-year-old child recently died after getting the flu. Tony Shin reports for the NBC4 News on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019.

The county health department reports 410 confirmed cases of the flu, for the week ending December 26. That’s a fraction of the 2,332 cases reported for the same week last year. But the flu season lasts until at least April, so doctors recommend the flu vaccine, especially for the elderly, very young, and chronically ill. They also report seeing more...

A virus could be adding to the seasonal misery brought on by influenza, but it’s not being identified, an infectious disease specialist told NBC News. Adenovirus can cause severe flu-like symptoms, and the U.S. military already vaccinates recruits against two of its 52 strains. But most people don’t get the vaccine and aren’t tested for it at doctor’s offices, according...

Hunter Conner of Fallbrook died unexpectedly last month, just days after contracting the flu.

Tamiflu is a prescription medication that can ease flu symptoms and stop them from getting worse, and it’s seen shortages this year amid a fierce outbreak that’s killed at least 37 children. But “Today” reports that a family in Indiana fears that Tamiflu’s effects may have led to the suicide of 16-year-old Charlie Harp. A legal guardian of Harp’s told...

The family of an Indiana teen says the drug Tamiflu may have played a role in his suicide. An aunt of Charlie Harp, 16, said Harp was a “happy” child before he took the drug for his influenza.

Feel like you’ve had the flu more than once this season? You may have been hit with the flu or, it may be another virus that feels like influenza but isn’t.

A healthy 8-year-old boy was diagnosed with the flu. The next day, his mother says, doctors discovered the flu caused a life-changing infection in the boy’s brain.

As a result of a surge in flu patients, the Loma Linda University Medical Center has set up a triage with a tent equipped with medical necessities.

Flu activity usually peaks in January and February, but the virus is hitting victims earlier than usual this flu season. Click here to see a flu surveillance map of the United States.

Cough medications that contain opioids like codeine should not ever be taken by kids and they’ll now need to be labeled to make that clear, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday. The FDA will also carry bigger warning about their dangers to adults, NBC News reported. The FDA will remind parents that most coughs and colds don’t need any...

There’s a good reason not to skip the flu shot this year: a new study has found that older adults who get the shot every flu season were less likely to die or be hospitalized with severe complications, NBC News reported. People over 65 who got the flu shot every year but were taken to the hospital with influenza were...

A father of four from El Cajon kept working and preparing for Christmas, despite feeling bad with the flu. One week later, he was in the emergency room, and now Intensive Care, with life-threatening symptoms.