This Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, file photo shows vials of flu vaccine in Philadelphia. As the flu season winds down, health officials say it wasn’t as bad as last year and the vaccine worked better. But younger adults were hit harder because of a surge of swine flu.ATLANTA – Flu season seems to be winding down, and it’s been an odd one.
It hasn’t been as bad as last year and the vaccine worked a little better. And it has been a fairly mild one for the elderly – traditionally the most vulnerable group.
But it’s been a different story for young and middle-age adults, who have been hit harder than expected because of a surge in swine flu.
Most flu seasons, only one-third of the people who land in the hospital with the flu are adults ages 18-64. This winter, they have accounted for two-thirds, most of them adults who were obese or had another ailment.
The numbers “are painful reminders that flu can be serious for anyone, not just infants and the very old,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.