Hundreds of students at a San Diego high school call out amid flu outbreak
Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the flu season is off to an early start, with a rash of flu-like cases reported in Texas, parts of the Southeast, New York City and Washington, D.C. One San Diego high school seemingly has a flu outbreak, causing 1,400 students to be absent.
The outbreak at Patrick Henry High School started Monday, doubled on Wednesday, and now, more than half the student body is out sick.
"There was a homecoming dance and game on the weekend prior to this Monday," Dr. Howard Taras, a physician for the San Diego Unified School District, told CBS News. "You'd think that it would take several days for them to become infectious to others, but it didn't."
The CDC said prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 36 million cases of the flu in the U.S. With masking and social distancing, U.S. cases plummeted to just thousands — the lowest ever recorded.
But now, most mandates are gone.
"The last two years, people haven't been exposed too much influenza, so their immunity to it may be down," said CBS News chief medical correspondent Jonathan LaPook.
The CDC said it's safe to get the flu shot and COVID-19 booster together so that you can be prepared for what's predicted to be a severe flu season.