U.S. flu season off to its earliest start in more than 15 years

Back in October, the symptoms started appearing in Louisiana doctors’ offices: the first signs of American flu season. To some experts, the fact that it’s starting this early is a sign that these viruses might do a lot of damage this year, because that was the case the last time the phenomenon was observed, in 2003-2004. But others say it’s too soon to tell. The season is declared officially underway when there’s a three-week period during which a significant percentage of U.S. doctor’s office visits are due to flu-like illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that point has been reached — but it’s not yet clear how well this year’s vaccine protects against the viral strains that happen to be circulating.