Not Too Late for a Flu Shot. The Obese, Pregnant and Young Adults at Most Risk
It's probably not a surprise but almost 50% of the people hospitalized for the flu this season are obese, not just because they are overweight but because of what obesity does to the immune system. Acoording to USA Today, t he reported percentage of obese patients hospitalized is "a high number," Elizabeth Weise quotes Zack Moore, a medical epidemiologist with the North Carolina Division of Public Health in Raleigh, N.C. "In previous years it's usually in the 20s and 30% range." But it's just those who are overweight. This season's flu is also hospitalizing more pregnant women than normal. So far this season 22% of hospitalized patients are pregnant, whereas 4.6% is the norm, Bresee told Weise. Researchers aren't entirely sure why these groups may be so strongly at risk, but believe it might be linked to immunological effects, Bresee added. Both obesity and pregnancy are known to alter the immune response. They also both tend to result i...