The CDC has announced that this year's flu season is already at epidemic proportions in the US.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-y ... -cdc-says/
The strain that's dominating, H3N2, is a pretty severe strain. This same strain was dominant in the 2012-2013 season, and I remember how bad it got in Boston - I got it myself late in January 2013, and it was bad enough that the local government issued orders to employers to stop penalizing any employees calling in sick to try to combat the spread of the virus. It's also a mismatch with the flu shot that was available this year, as the strain had some genetic drift that occurred too late for the shot to account for it. So the shot isn't quite as effective as hoped, but it still protects at least some and protects against other flu viruses that are circulating.
Wash your hands regularly, folks.