NEW YORK – The US flu season is underway Cases are increasing in large parts of the country, health authorities said on Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted a pointy increase in several measures, including laboratory tests and emergency room visits.

RELATED: Why Finland is vaccinating farmers against bird flu – but California isn't – and more information in regards to the spreading virus

Thirteen states reported high or very high numbers of flu-like illnesses last week, about double the extent the week before. One of those is Tennessee, where the Nashville area is experiencing a surge in illness, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University.

“The flu has been increasing, but just last week it exploded,” Schaffner said. He noted that at a neighborhood clinic, which serves as an indicator of disease trends, as much as 1 / 4 of patients have flu symptoms.

Louisiana is one other early hotspot.

“This week in particular is really the tipping point where people are out with the flu,” Dr. Catherine O'Neal, an infectious disease doctor on the state's largest private hospital, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. “You hear parents say, 'I can't come to work because of the flu' and 'Where can I get a flu test?'”

Of course, there are a lot of pathogens that cause fever, cough, sore throat and other flu-like symptoms. One of them is COVID-19. Another is RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which is a typical reason behind cold-like symptoms but could be dangerous for infants and the elderly.

The latest CDC Data show that hospitalizations because of COVID-19 have decreased because the summer. According to CDC wastewater data, COVID-19 activity is moderate nationwide but high within the Midwest.

RSV hospitalizations began rising before the flu and at the moment are showing signs of possible abatement, but remain barely more common than flu admissions. Overall, RSV activity is low nationwide but high within the South, wastewater data show.

The CDC declared the beginning of flu season based on several indicators, including laboratory results from patients in hospitals and doctors' offices and the proportion of emergency room visits that were diagnosed with flu at discharge.

No flu strain appears to be dominant, and it's too early within the season to know the way well the flu vaccine will match it, Budd said.

Last winter's flu season was considered “moderate” overall, nevertheless it was long – 21 weeks – and the CDC estimated the variety of flu-related deaths at 28,000. It was unusually dangerous for kids, with 205 pediatric deaths reported. That was the best number ever reported in a conventional flu season.

The long season was likely an element, Budd said. Another factor was the shortage of flu vaccinations. Of the kids who died who were sufficiently old to get a flu shot – and whose vaccination status was known – 80% weren’t fully vaccinated. accordingly the CDC.

Childhood vaccination rates are even lower this yr. As of Dec. 7, about 41% of adults had received a flu shot, much like the identical time last yr. The percentage is identical for kids, but for them it’s a decrease in comparison with last yr, when 44% were vaccinated against flu, they are saying CDC data.

Vaccination rates against COVID-19 are even lower: about 21% of adults and 11% of kids have already been vaccinated.

Flu experts recommend that everybody get vaccinated, especially if persons are preparing for holiday gatherings where respiratory viruses can spread widely.

“All of these gatherings, which are so heartwarming and fun and joyful, are also an opportunity for this virus to spread from person to person,” Schaffner said. “It’s not too late to get vaccinated.”

Originally published: December 22, 2024 at 7:50 am PST

When it involves consumer protection for airline passengers, Australia has long been hesitant.

The limited protective measures we’ve are based to a big extent on the final Australian consumer lawThe ‘consumer guarantees’ provided for on this law require only that services are provided inside the vague framework of a ‘reasonable time’.

This could also be positive if we’re only having a settee delivered from the furniture store. The cost of late delivery is minimal.

However, these safeguards weren’t tailored to the particular impact that delayed or cancelled flights can have on travellers. Australia’s lack of aviation-specific protections has long been a serious Pain point for air passengers, which has been exacerbated by the disruptions brought on by the pandemic.

The long-awaited Aviation white paperreleased in full on Monday, promised to handle this problem. At the center of the reforms are a brand new Australian Aviation Ombudsman System and a brand new Charter of Customer Rights for passengers.

Recognising that recent protections are needed is a step in the suitable direction, but this one-off White Paper missed the chance to attain way more by moving Australia towards the buyer protection model that has been in place for 20 years. Europe.

What makes air travel unique?

Passengers may expect to reach at their destination on the time (or roughly) indicated within the flight schedule by the airline on the time of payment for the reservation and issuance of the ticket.

If this isn’t possible, you need to at the very least arrive at a modified time that has been announced in good time in order that the relevant reservations and bookings can still be adjusted.

Air travel have to be on time as there isn’t a substitute for that. Even with a modest period of time, a automobile journey from Perth and even Sydney to Melbourne, for instance, isn’t a comparable option.

And the closer the departure date gets, the less opportunity passengers need to adjust their travel plans. In the previous few days before departure, hotel cancellation deadlines expire and alternative connecting flights are sold out or prices rise rapidly.

In some cases, traveling to a selected event may grow to be pointless for a passenger if the delay is long enough.

Australia must catch up

In contrast to Australia, many other industrialised countries have long had aviation-specific protection regulations in place.

In the European Union (EU), for instance, Regulations make clear that airlines have specific duties and responsibilities within the event of delays, cancellations and denied boarding. These include Right to compensation of as much as €600 (A$988).

This protection and the quantity of compensation for non-compliance with certain requirements for several types of flights are comprehensively regulated by law.

Canada has a barely different approach – Smaller regional transport corporations have different obligations than large line operators. But just like the European regulation, it requires the passenger to achieve the destination indicated on the ticket or to refund the ticket price if the journey has grow to be pointless.

The lack of such legally mandated protections in Australia implies that we often need to depend on the goodwill of the airline when something goes flawed.

Real measures were delayed

The central proposal of the White paper is the creation of a brand new ombudsman system with the ability to order airlines and airports to offer redress to consumers and to research customer complaints in regards to the conduct of airlines and airports. This will replace the prevailing one. Airline customer advisor.

A brand new charter of customer rights to be adopted as a part of this programme will give passengers “greater certainty about what they can expect in the event of flight cancellations and delays” and require airlines to be more transparent about their performance.

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The White Paper highlighted the poor punctuality performance of Australian airlines. It also identified that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission identified Problems with consumer protection for air travel in Australia as early as 2017. But his proposals don’t offer any truly measurable or enforceable improvements in consumer rights.

Despite proven models in comparable countries – lots of which have followed the EU's example – Australians may have to attend for further discussions before seeing what protective measures might ultimately be introduced.

The government's White Paper essentially just puts the issue on the back burner.

Passengers on Australian airlines are entitled to at the very least the identical assurances as travellers to and from Europe: within the event of a cancellation or major delay, they shall be taken to their destination as quickly as possible on an alternate flight.

In addition, they must be supplied with adequate food and accommodation until their onward journey, receive compensation within the event of long delays and have the chance to return home with a full refund of the associated fee of the journey whether it is pointless to forgo the journey.