Your flu shot can’t wait

Some parts of the country are seeing levels of flu activity typically associated with late fall or early winter. | Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day.

Subscribe here .

Flu season is starting earlier than usual this year, which I know from reviewing federal data.

But I also know it because I woke up with body aches and chills last night, mere days before I’d planned to get my flu vaccination (!).

Already, some parts of the country are seeing levels of flu activity typically associated with late fall or early winter.

In Washington state, for instance, doctors are reporting seeing as much flu now as they usually would around Christmas.

Flu activity overall is still low , to be clear.

But as of October 7, infections were rising in all 50 states.

And flu is spreading before many people — like, say, me — have received their annual vaccine.

Epidemiologists don’t yet know why the flu arrived early this year, or why cases first started rising in Western states like Washington, California, and Nevada.

It’s possible that a mutation is helping this year’s flu variants evade existing immunity, one virologist told NPR .

International travel could play a role , too: Flu cases also spiked early in Japan and other parts of Asia.

We don’t need to know why the flu arrived early to take some basic precautions, though.

So today, we’re talking through some practical tips for coping with an early flu season.