For the week ended Feb. 9, influenza activity decreased to 3.2% — still above the baseline of 2.2%, but an indicator this year's flu season is on its way out.

The flu epidemic is in full swing in the West and across the Southwest, as just about every state west of the Mississippi through to California is in the red on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weekly FluView for the week ended Jan. 26.

An advocacy group focused on a rare lung disorder is working with government authorities to educate patients about the need to get flu shots.

While there is still plenty of room for improvement, a growing number of patients have either already received or plan to receive a flu shot this year compared to one year ago. According to an online survey of more than 900 AccentHealth viewers conducted in September, 57% of patients have received or plan to receive a flu shot this year, versus 53% in 2011. 


Flu vaccination rates have remained steady overall, but rates continue to vary between age groups and among states, according to data from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published Thursday.

With the growth of consumer-driven care and more of the burden of managing costs falling on patients’ shoulders, there’s no doubt that patients are responding to the convenient, cost-effective health care provided by retail health clinics. Further evidence of this is the recent results of the Harris Interactive poll.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the formulation for the 2012-2013 flu vaccine, the agency said Monday.

Maxim Health Systems now is a certified distributor of the Citi Flu Care card, the healthcare group announced Tuesday.

University of British Columbia researchers may have found a way to develop universal flu vaccines and eliminate the need for seasonal flu vaccinations, university officials announced Tuesday.

An intranasal vaccine that includes four weakened strains of influenza could do a better job in protecting children from the flu than current vaccines, research released Tuesday by St. Louis University found.

Walgreens and Access Community Health Network of Chicago on Tuesday teamed up in an effort to protect more people in Chicago’s medically underserved communities from the flu this season, through a new program in which Walgreens will provide more than 10,000 free flu shot vouchers for eligible Access patients.

In an effort to emphasize the importance of being protected against the flu, Illinois governor Pat Quinn visited a Chicago Walgreens to receive his seasonal flu shot.