Flu Season Intensifies: What You Need to Know About the Rising Cases and New Variant
As the holiday season is in full swing, the flu is spreading rapidly across the United States, driven by a new variant of the virus known as “subclade K.” This variant has already led to early outbreaks in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported high or very high levels of illness in more than half of the states.
The CDC estimates that there have been at least 7.5 million illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations, and 3,100 deaths from flu so far this season, including at least eight child deaths. These numbers are based on data as of December 20, before major holiday gatherings, and are expected to continue growing with holiday travel. Some states, such as New York and Minnesota, are particularly hard-hit, with New York’s health department reporting the most flu cases in a single week since 2004.
Understanding Subclade K Flu
The flu virus is constantly mutating, and subclade K is a mutated version of the H3N2 strain, which is always harsh, especially for older adults. While the mutations in subclade K are not enough to be considered an entirely new kind of flu, they are different enough to evade some of the protection from this year’s vaccine, according to Andrew Pekosz, a virus expert at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The CDC notes that flu seasons dominated by any version of H3N2 tend to be bad, with more infections overall and more people becoming seriously ill. However, it’s too soon to know how severe this season will be, and it will take time to determine whether subclade K simply spreads more easily or is also more dangerous.
Prevention and Treatment
Despite the challenges posed by subclade K, health experts emphasize that it’s not too late to get a flu shot, which can still prevent severe illness even if someone gets infected. While this year’s vaccine isn’t a perfect match to the subclade K strain, a preliminary analysis from the UK found it offered at least partial protection, lowering people’s risk of hospitalization. The CDC recommends a flu vaccine for just about everyone age 6 months and older, particularly for people 65 and older, pregnant women, young children, and people with chronic health problems.
There are also prescription medicines available to treat flu, usually recommended for people at high risk of complications. However, these medicines generally need to be started a day or two after symptoms begin. With only about 42% of adults and children having gotten a flu vaccination so far this year, health experts urge everyone to take precautions and get vaccinated to prevent the spread of the flu.
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