Scripps Health Launches Flu Vaccination Clinics

In Australia, where influenza typically spreads during the Northern Hemisphere's spring and summer months, it has been an active flu season with case numbers running at their highest levels since before the COVID-19 pandemic years. American health experts use Australia as a barometer to predict what might be in store for the United States later in the fall when the virus typically emerges here.

Beyond the physical discomfort and schedule disruptions that a routine flu infection can bring, the virus also can be deadly. During the 2023-24 flu season, the virus infected more than 19,000 people in San Diego County and killed 60 locally. Across the United States, as many as 64 million people were sickened by the infection and as many as 72,000 died.

And once again, there is a possibility of new surges of COVID and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) while influenza is spreading across the region and country this fall and winter, putting even more strain on health systems.

"Vaccination isn't the only thing you can do to protect yourself and others around you from infection," said Anthony Chong, MD, a family medicine physician and chief medical officer at Scripps Coastal Medical Center. "It's always a good idea to wash hands often, avoid people who are sick, stay home and avoid others if you have symptoms, and make sure you are current on other recommended vaccinations for COVID-19 and RSV."