The Checkup: Flu Season Off to Earliest Start in 10 Years, CDC Says

• I got some flack on this blog for getting a flu shot a few months ago, but boy am I happy I did. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced yesterday that flu season is off to its earliest start in a decade and that it’s likely to be a bad one, with higher-than-usual reports of illness already documented in some states. The good news is, a third of us have been vaccinated. And the really good news is, the vaccine was well matched to the virus strain this year. Which means my fingers and toes are crossed for a flu-free winter.

• On the heels of last month’s massive spinach recall at Wegmans, there’s this: a new study showing that ultrasound waves, combined with a chlorine wash, can eliminate 99.99 percent of E. coli bacteria on leafy greens. Before you get all up and arms about the chlorine part, Greatist reports that such washes are already common and kill between 90 and 99 percent of germs—meaning that some bad stuff still slips through. This new technique using ultrasound waves could help fill in the gaps.

• The Internet freaked out yesterday when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge—a.k.a. Prince William and Kate Middleton—announced they’re expecting. Reporters put two-and-two together, prompting Buckingham Palace to confirm it, when Kate was hospitalized due to extreme morning sickness. Now the Los Angeles Times is conjecturing that the Duchess could be pregnant with twins, or even triplets. Here’s why.

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