Australia’s bad flu season is a warning for the U.S. this year

Flu season in the United States may be severe this year. Australia is nearing the end of its worst flu season in 5 years, which could be an indicator for the U.S.

The U.S. may be in for a severe flu season this year if trends in the Southern Hemisphere — historically a seasonal harbinger for the U.S. — hold true.

It isn't the first time since the Covid pandemic began that experts have warned of a bad flu season or even a "twindemic": a bad flu season on top of a winter surge of Covid. But so far, that hasn't materialized.

What makes this year different, however, is that flu is surging in Australia for the first time since the pandemic began. Flu season in Australia can be an indication of what's to come in the U.S.

Australia is nearing the end of its worst flu season in five years, according to the latest report from the country's Department of Health and Aged Care.

"We watch the all of the Southern Hemisphere countries very closely, hoping that we get some sort of insight, but it's not perfect by any means," said Dr. Alicia Fry, the chief of the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/australia-flu-season-warning-sign-us-this-year-rcna40123

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