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In the United States, the annual flu season is just starting at the same time U.S. government agencies are expected to announce recommendations for new COVID-19 vaccines.
As millions of people approach their trusted pharmacists for a flu shot, many wonder if the coadministration of a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and efficacious.
A new Original Investigation published by the peer-reviewed journal The JAMA Open Network on September 8, 2023, offered reassuring news for older adults.

While health experts watch reports of a tranquil flu season in the Southern Hemisphere, many people in the north are debating when to get their annual influenza vaccination.
Since vaccine effectiveness is influenced by waning, timing is essential each flu season.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently added some clarity to this question when it published Influenza Update N° 452 on August 21, 2023.

Over the past two years, various avian influenza outbreaks have led to the deaths of millions of birds. And a recent study reported the H3N8 avian influenza virus (AIV) in a woman who died of severe disease in Guangdong Province, China.
According to the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, this was the first confirmed human death after avian influenza (A/H3N8) infection.
As of August 2023, there have been three cases of human infection of avian influenza A (H3N8) virus in China.

Over the past few years, around 60% of vaccination during flu season took place at local pharmacies, which were rated very high in a July 2023 survey. 
More than half of respondents confirmed that pharmacies are easy to access and time efficient to get an annual flu shot.
And based on new services announced by Walgreens, this percentage may increase during the 2023-2024 flu season in the U.S.

Every flu season is different, and each influenza virus can affect people differently, says the World Health Organization (WHO). For the forthcoming 2023-2024 flu season in the United States, numerous studies show that vaccination reduces the odds of hospital admissions.
Since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends an annual flu shot for most people, access to approved influenza vaccines is essential.

Global health agencies recently warned of the continuing avian influenza (influenza A H5N1) outbreaks in birds and mammals and the increasing risks to people. 
The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) today announced two additional human infections since March 2023, increasing England's total to 5 detections since 2021, including one in December 2021.
As of July 10, 2023, 144 individuals from 8 infected premises have been tested, of which four were positive (2.7% positivity).

While the new flu season is beginning in the United States, influenza-related fatalities from the 2022-2023 season are still being counted.
The National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Surveillance data available on July 6, 2023, as of week #26, among the 1,091 pneumonia, influenza, and/or COVID-19 deaths reported, 186 had COVID-19 listed as an underlying or contributing cause of death, and eight listed influenza on the death certificate.

The U.K.'s Department of Health and Social Care Media Centre recently reconfirmed it would offer a nasal influenza vaccine for the 2023-2024 flu season.
On July 6, 2023, it was announced that over three million pupils in secondary school years, 7 to 11, will be offered a nasal spray flu shot through their school's vaccination program beginning in early September 2023.
Consent letters will be sent to parents and guardians before the school clinics with information on the flu vaccination. School-age immunization providers will deliver the vaccine through the autumn term.

Two new reports were recently published with information on additional sporadic avian influenza (bird flu) human cases and outbreaks in wild birds, poultry, and other animals such as cats.
On June 30, 2023, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) confirmed Poland's Chief Veterinary Officer of Poland announced that about 20 samples from domestic cats from different cities have tested positive for A(H5N1) influenza virus.

While the United States is preparing for its next flu season with updated flu shots, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported on the global situation.
On June 26, 2023, the WHO announced Influenza Update N° 448, which stated influenza detections remained low globally.
However, what occurs in one hemisphere does not necessarily forecast what will happen in the other hemisphere because evolving influenza viruses impact populations differently, says the WHO.