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With flu infections on the rise, an expert shares what to know about influenza and why it’s not too late to get a flu shot. This article originally appeared in NewYork-Presbyterian’s Health Matters. By Julia Morrill  Manhattan Voice  February 4, 2025 Follow @x NEW YORK - Flu season is in full swing, and cases are increasing across the country. About 21,000 people tested positive for the flu during the first week of January, a nearly 20% rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Seasonal flu — a respiratory illness that can cause mild to severe symptoms — is highly contagious. Over the past decade, the number of annual flu cases in the U.S. has ranged from 9 million and 40 million, and symptoms can range from annoying to debilitating. “The flu is nasty, and the best way to protect yourself is with the vaccine,” says Dr. Keith Roach, a general internist and an associate attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/...

-File Photo This article originally appeared in NewYork-Presbyterian’s Health Matters. By Amanda Torres  Manhattan Voice  January 7, 2025 NEW YORK - Recent outbreaks of avian influenza in poultry and dairy cows have drawn attention to the disease commonly known as bird flu. California declared a state of emergency after discovering the virus in 645 herds of dairy cattle. Bird flu typically spreads among wild birds and other animals like dairy cows and domestic poultry, but this year, more than 60 people across the United States have been infected. In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first severe case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States when a person in Louisiana was hospitalized after being exposed to infected birds in backyard flocks.  California, Colorado, and Washington have also had confirmed human cases, and a person in Missouri was the first to be diagnosed with the bird flu without any known...