To the infectious diseases community, the southern hemisphere is like an influenza crystal ball. Winter down there comes before ours, and their flu season foreshadows how things will go north of the equator. Peer into the viral illness Magic 8 Ball this year, and the answer is clear: Outlook not so good.
“The Australians have had a worse flu season than they normally do,” says Dr. Richard Geise, an infectious diseases physician at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. And by “worse” he means more hospitalizations, more deaths, and more cases overall.
While a bad flu season any year isn’t good news, this year’s round of influenza brings a certain level
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