Epidemiology of Influenza
Gary Marshall, MD, provides an overview of influenza and the timing and duration of the disease from recent flu seasons.
This is a video synopsis of a discussion involving Gary Marshall, MD:
The timing and duration of recent flu seasons has been significantly impacted by measures taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, it is difficult to draw conclusions about typical flu outbreak patterns based on the last few years. Prior to the pandemic, the flu demonstrated classic seasonal epidemiology, usually emerging in the late fall around November or December in the Northern Hemisphere, corresponding to changes in weather and human behavior that favor transmission. The season would then last through March. During the first year of lockdowns and restrictions due to COVID-19, very little flu circulated. In subsequent years as restrictions eased, flu has rebounded as population-level immunity declined due to lack of exposure to newer strains. Typical pre-pandemic seasonality saw flu outbreaks beginning in November/December, peaking in January/February, and subsiding through March. The extent to which this seasonality will reassert itself remains uncertain due to the complex interplay of factors influencing flu transmission dynamics resulting from the pandemic.
Video synopsis is AI-generated and reviewed by Contemporary Pediatrics editorial staff.
