If it seemed like a lot of folks were missing work because of the flu last month, it's because they were. More people reported having the flu during December 2014 than during any December since 2008.
A Gallup survey that's been tracking the flu since 2008 confirms that last month was a big one for the flu virus. On any given day, Gallup said, 4 percent of those in the monthly survey said they had the flu, up from 2.8 percent in December 2013.
And worse yet, Gallup reports, "given that reports of having the flu are typically highest in January or February, the 2013-2014 flu season could end up being the worst flu season in Gallup's records."
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The Gallup survey results are worth paying attention to. Gallup acknowledges that its methodology differs from the government's in tracking the flu. Gallup queries people while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control gathers information from doctors and hospitals. But the results aligned for December: The CDC found a significant uptick in December 2014 versus December 2013 of a magnitude similar to Gallup's.
Whether that record-setting trend will continue will be known soon. The highest percentage for any month reported to Gallup was in January 2013, when 4.7 percent of those surveyed they had the flu.
Lots of people reported having colds in December, too, Gallup said: 11.6 percent said they had a cold, the highest reported percentage in the poll's history. The previous high, 10.8 percent, was reported in January 2013.
By ethnicity, Gallup found that Hispanics are more prone to the flu and colds than other groups, and low-income individuals report higher incidents of these winter illnesses than do those with more financial resources.
"Across age groups, reports of colds are highest among young adults, while flu reports are highest among middle-aged adults," Gallup said. "Reports of colds decreased with each successively older age group. … By contrast, the flu was most prevalent among middle-aged adults."
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
