Flu season is starting earlier than usual, and doctors are warning people to get vaccinated

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are climbing faster than they did a year ago, although the cause is still unclear.

The flu may already be making the rounds, even though the calendar has not reached Halloween.

Doctors say the season appears to be getting underway much earlier than normal.

According to the latest estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu infections are increasing or likely increasing in 44 states. Reports also indicate that infections began rising as early as August.

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all rising more quickly than they did last year, but the reason for that pattern is not fully understood.

Because it takes roughly two weeks for the flu vaccine to provide its full protection, physicians are urging people not to delay getting the shot.

“What we are seeing in the emergency department is people coming in with fever, cough, difficulty breathing, that’s very much similar to what we experience in the ER, but there’s basic things people can do to protect themselves besides getting the vaccines, it’s washing your hands, cover their cough, it’s not going to work or school if you have a fever," said Dr. Nicholas Cozzi with Rush University System for Health.

Dr. Ryan Stanton of the American College of Emergency Physicians said vaccination is not “a guarantee that we’re going to prevent illness. But just like the seat belt in your car, it decreases risk” of the most serious outcomes.

Ordinarily, fall vaccine recommendations come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its independent advisory panel. This year, however, that panel is tied up in a court dispute, and the CDC has not updated its flu guidance.

In the meantime, several medical organizations have stepped in with their own recommendations for patients: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Infectious Diseases Society of America have all posted vaccination guidance along with the evidence supporting it.

The medical groups agree that nearly everyone age 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine. The virus can be especially dangerous for adults 65 and older, pregnant women, young children and people of any age with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease or weakened immune systems. The past two flu seasons also saw unusually high numbers of child deaths, and most of those children were not vaccinated.

While the shots do not prevent every flu infection, they do reduce the chances of severe illness. According to the Vaccine Integrity Project, a public health group at the University of Minnesota, flu vaccines lowered hospitalizations among older adults by 31% last year.

Doctors are also watching H1N1 cases closely after the CDC reported new genetic changes in the strain. Researchers are still examining what those mutations could mean for spread and for how well current immunity protects against the virus.