This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the 2011-2012 flu season has officially ended. The season is usually declared over when low numbers of people go to the doctor for flu-like illnesses.
In its final FluView report, CDC stated that the “late and mild flu season” has set the record for the lightest and slowest-starting flu season since it started tracking the flu in 1997.
Officials aren’t sure why the flu season was so mild this year, but they think it might have something to do with the warm winter, the fact that many of the flu viruses circulating this year were also around last year and the fact that more people in the U.S. have gotten their annual flu shot.
This doesn’t mean that we’re totally flu-free now. As CDC wrote in its FluView report, “The late start of this season and the fact that flu viruses circulate year-round in the United States means that some flu activity will likely continue to occur in the coming weeks.”
Yes, you can still get the flu in the summer! If you’re helping us track the flu with our FluNearYou tool, we’ll still send out the weekly “How Are You Feeling?” emails.
Be sure to stay healthy this summer by practicing good hand-washing. And don’t forget to check out our new Summer Safe series, where we’ll bring you tips to stay healthy so you can have fun all summer long!
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