The current flu season is, so far, on track to be deadlier than the previous two years. “This is the first year we had the entire continental U.S. be the same color on the graph, meaning there’s widespread activity in all of the continental U.S. at this point,” CDC Influenza Division Director said. “It is in a lot of places and causing a lot of flu.” But it raises the question, why is the flu season so bad this year? This year, influenza A is especially prevalent than in recent years. A year with more predominately H3 viruses, the country tends to see more serious cases of the flu and decreased vaccine effectiveness. And, approximately eighty percent of all pharmaceuticals used by Americans are produced overseas. Forty-three percent of saline in this country comes from Puerto Rico. The destruction in Puerto Rico and the effect it has had on the supply of small IV saline bags is part of the reason why we’re seeing such a high number of deaths this year. The biggest question always surrounding flu season is does the flu vaccine actually work? The flu shot is tweaked each year in an attempt to target what are projected to be the most prevalent strains of the disease, but the process isn’t foolproof. Get this, the CDC estimated that the vaccine will only be effective against roughly 30% of H3 viruses this year. Interesting.