Flu Season 2014 - News Update: CDC Confirms Flu Outbreak with 29 States Already Hit by the Virus

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The influenza virus is making waves in the U.S, claiming the lives of 11 children in the country. With 13 states experiencing high levels of influenza-like illnesses and six states with moderate activity, flu is spreading at an alarming rate, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Many have been sent to the hospital for the said disease, and most of the patients were either young children or older adults, and those with compromised immune system, the CDC confirmed.

The outbreak has been accelerating over the weeks, and authorities have announced shutting down of schools in Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio to curb the further spread of the disease.

"There's almost like a Christmas tree right in the middle of the country of the hot spots for disease," Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said.

While the flu outbreak has been normal reading consumption fare in the dailies, broadcast media and the Internet since a few months back, the virus causing such an outbreak is due partly to the "impotency" of the present flu vaccine to other strains of the flu virus, health officials said.

The flu vaccine currently used may be effective in protecting against H1N1 and one or two strains of influenza B, but it is said to lose effectiveness against the H3N2 strain, which is now making rounds all throughout the U.S.

"Because the H3N2 is dominating, we probably will see more disease. There might be reduced protection as opposed to zero protection," said Schuchat.

And since there is no protection yet from the H3N2 strain, health officials are advising general measures to prevent one from acquiring the disease.

"With the flu vaccine not being as effective as in previous years, we have to rely more on hand washing and other ways to prevent infections. Flu cases might go down as people are traveling around the country in the next few weeks, but they could go back up once everyone returns," Zachary Thompson, the health department's director from Dallas.

Influenza or flu is a highly contagious disease and is caused by the flu virus which comes in different stains. The disease affects the  respiratory tract and causes mild to severe illness, whose symptoms include sore throat, cough, running or stuffy nose, feverish chills with or without fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, diarrhea (more common among children). Flu could be severe in some cases, especially to people with weak immune system. In its extreme case, flu may also cause death.

Flu is among the anticipated diseases that the U.S experiences on a yearly basis. The government and medical practitioners have been foreseeing the spread of the disease each year, and provides warning and reminder to individuals to observe preventive measures.

"This year, we have potential for a severe flu season. But whether it will prove to be a bigger clinical problem than usual, only time will tell. We have to be prepared for a bad flu season every year," said Dr. Jonathan Blum, an infectious disease specialist at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara.

CDC health experts are recommending that people, especially high risk group including children, pregnant women and elderly, to get the flu shots and proper vaccination to give them some blanket of protection against the disease.

CDC also said that those experiencing flu symptoms to consult their doctors immediately. They have also mentioned that two prescription antiviral drugs, Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir), can help bring down the time of acute illness by two days if taken in time.