The article states that the flu is widespread and has been reported in every state but Hawaii.
Am I overly concerned?
Here’s a simple explanation:
Just because the young and elderly and people with compromised immune systems are more likely to have serious health problems due to the flu, it does not mean that middle-aged healthy people never get such issues.
Usually it’s because the flu has triggered off a cytokine storm, which ironically happens in a very healthy and active immune system. The immune system goes apeshit, firing off giant waves of cytokines to fight the virus and consequently ends up killing the person by essentially drowning them in their own anti-inflammatory byproducts. Elderly people, the young and the infirm have compromised immune systems that aren’t able to fire off this level of response, and therefore can’t get into the feedback loop of the cytokine storm.
It’s pretty weird, but it’s real. Cytokine storm - Wikipedia
Another reason is that younger folks think that death is an abstract idea. By the time they go to the hospital, they’ve been running a high fever for a number of days. That, combined with the flu infection, can be a fatal combination. At least, that’s my layman’s take on it.
Some healthy young people die from the flu every year. A hundredish kids die from flu every year. Every year flu hits epidemic proportions.
This season is on the early side and likely by virtue of hitting its stride during the Christmas New years travel and get togethers season spread wide fast. But as of the most recent CDC reporting it is still well below most seasons mortality peaks, the 20 pediatric deaths not looking like they’ll end up being worse than other years (maybe less bad), and not (yet at least) peaking for number of outpatient influenza-like illness visits any more than last two similarly timed seasons of 2012-13 and 2014-15. Now will it drop off fast from there like those years did or not? Best indications is yes it will. It also seems that way in real time in my office. Peak seemed to be week one of 2018 and this week is a big drop off. Of course that’s just my office and we’ll see if the CDC numbers end up confirming. Their most recent is still that week one.
Previously healthy young people (i.e. under 50 or so) die every year from influenza; it’s reported precisely because it’s so rare.
The one person I have known personally who died from influenza was about 70 years old and had multiple health issues. This happened last year. 
No, because of the cytokine issue, the flu can be especially dangerous for the young and healthy precisely BECAUSE their immune systems are so good. Those with less competent immune systems don’t die because they just have the flu run its course feeling miserable. It’s surmised that the reason why the 1918 flu was so especially bad was that it tripped off the cytokine storm in many younger adults so the ones least expected to succumb died.
As DSeid suggests in #5, the headline figures are often out of context. Many years ago, after a public holiday, newspapers used to have big headlines reporting that “200 KILLED IN BANK HOLIDAY MAYHEM” and the like.
They stopped doing it after someone pointed out that the headline numbers were actually smaller than on a ‘normal’ weekend.
Influenza can kill previously healthy young adults by means other than “cytokine storm” - for instance, if a superimposed bacterial infection hits a flu-weakened patient.
Secondary pneumonias can be fatal for patients in multiple age groups.
This in particular needs to be corrected.
Those with less competent immune systems (by age or medical condition) are typically those who die with influenza, especially with the H3N2 A one that has been the early part of this season. Roughly 80% of all deaths from influenza each year are in those over 65 and many of the rest in those with risk factors. Those with fully competent immune system are still at some mortality risk but no where as high.
Thing is those with less competent immune systems tend not to respond as well to the vaccine as often (some response still much much better than none) and the best way to protect them is to reduce the risk of exposure by getting those with competent immune systems vaccinated enough that the higher riskers are exposed less by them.
Yes, but the question in the OP is, if the flu is killing young and healthy people why aren’t the overall number of fatalities higher. The cytokine storm/flu complex is the most likely reason why those conditions obtain. During any flu season it’s expected that the old, young and infirm will have a certain percentage of mortality, but the OP is wondering why the percentages of all ages and conditions aren’t higher if young healthy people are succumbing. The answer is that the usual suspects are dying in the expected percentages–what’s unusual is that the young and healthy are dying in UNexpected percentages. Occam’s Razor applies.
Cite? I find it hard to believe that newspapers let statistics get in the way of a salacious headline. 
Sorry if I missed any statistics supporting your assertion. Can you point me in the direction that would substantiate this.
Are you hiding in your house, ordering groceries for delivery only and leaving the money in an envelop on the porch, wiping down on the outer packaging with alcohol? Maybe.
Actually, if you have small children or elderly persons in the house, PeaPod might be a good idea.
People tend to dismiss warnings of a potentially bad flu season that does not come to pass as media hype and crying wolf, instead of considering that the warnings might have worked.
There’s also the issue of liquids. Some people fail to recognize that they’re losing a lot of water from diarrhea, vomiting, etcetera and are not taking in enough to replace it. You can literally shit yourself into dying from dehydration.
And no, coffee and energy drinks are not a good way to get hydrated. Larger doses of caffeine have a diuretic effect, causing you to urinate more, which can be a really bad thing if you’re already losing a lot of fluid to diarrhea.