I don't see a link anywhere but I'm curious about it being milder.

It hasn't been milder here, it's been so bad several school districts have closed because of low attendance rates. Most of the people I know who have gotten the flu had a flu shot as well. Here at least the vaccine wasn't very effective this year.

I just added the link, sorry, I forgot to include it.

I think the assessment is based on nationwide stats and as with anything else, there are always data points in a sample above and below what's an overall average.

State data is also available. My anecdotal experience is that I seemed to hear of fewer flu cases this year among the people I know, admittedly not a large or population representative sample. The California stats show that this year was down substantially from last year and seems to be a bit lower than other recent years too.

There has been a lot of flu in my town. DGS2 and DD both had it and both had the vaccine as they have for years. Pediatrician said that the strain was one not included in this year’s vaccine.

I will go to my grave and still not understand how some people think vaccinations are more dangerous than the diseases the prevent. I had the measles when I was about 12 and I remember being very, very sick for about 2 weeks.

We've had a mild flu season locally - at least so far. I don't know what percentage of the community gets flu shots, I only know that we get them. We both qualify for the senior dose. This has been a crazy busy year and somehow we went for the vaccinations a little later than usual (I think it was first week of Nov). The only pharmacy in town (according to the Rite Aid and Safeway pharmacists) not out of the senior dose was Walmart. I wouldn't go there, not a fan of our Walmart. We got the quadrivalent flu vaccine, good for one more strain but not stronger. It's worked to date. The pharmacist said we looked young enough and active enough to have working immune systems and it would be fine.

ETA: I should have added, with this big extended family, we have had people close to us sick. One BIL, his two adult sons, 2 grandchildren all tested positive for influenza Christmas week. The baby, 1 yr old, was coughing and looking a little 'off' when we had breakfast with them just a couple days before Christmas. None of the children, the sons or little ones, had been vaccinated.

The flu was going around here last week. I don't think it has been as bad for us because we've had warmer weather and people don't have to be inside next to each other all of the time.

adella, I'm not sure how much of a role the weather plays. If your thought were valid, then there would be no flu in Hawaii, for example, where's it's warm and most buildings are always open to outdoor breezes. But there is flu in Hawaii, sometimes at higher rates than on the mainland.

People everywhere interact with one another in public, touch physical objects contaminated by an ill person, and illness finds a way to spread, no matter what the weather.