The flu had a glow-up.
This year’s flu season is proving to be worse than normal, with hospitalizations up significantly compared to last year, and the CDC reporting 4.6 million cases of the flu so far.
But with peak flu season still going on until at least February, signs of the unusual “super flu” variant behind the rising sickness don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
The leading culprit? The latest version of the flu, subclade K, is a variant of the H3N2 influenza A virus that dominates flu seasons. This strain was responsible for over half of US flu cases as of mid-November.
“This flu season is no joke. We are seeing more cases than we would expect for this time of year,” Dr. Amanda Kravitz, a pediatrician at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, told CBS Mornings.
But this isn’t your run-of-the-mill cold that you know and hate. H3N2 viruses often come with more severe symptoms compared to common respiratory infections.
These can include:
- High fever
- Fatigue
- Severe body aches
- Sore throat
- Chills
- Runny or congested nose
- Vomiting or diarrhea
While seemingly similar to flus of previous years, experts note a disturbing difference.
“Symptoms that are very intense, they come on really, really rapidly,” Dr. Kravitz added. “It’s very contagious, so it is spreading quickly through communities.”
Beyond worse-than-normal signs, the biggest concern is an increased risk of hospitalization. And if left untreated, the new strain can lead to serious complications like ear and sinus infections, bronchitis, pneumonia and even death.
The CDC reports there have been 1,900 deaths due to the flu as of Dec. 13.
So why is it so bad this year? For one, flu vaccines are on the decline, with fewer people than ever having gotten a shot this year.
And even for those who did get vaxxed, their protection is not as good as it could be. Production on the flu vaccine starts about six to nine months in advance, meaning the strains it’s designed to protect against are a matter of prediction of how the virus will mutate.
Those predictions are based on data, and are often pretty good — but sometimes, like this year, they miss the mark.
“[The dominant strain is] not very well aligned with the vaccine this year, which means there is potentially a larger proportion of the population that is susceptible to the flu,” said Neil Maniar, director of the master of public health program at Northeastern University.
While flu vaccines usually are usually 40% to 60% effective, one report out of the UK said this year’s seems to have an efficacy rate of 32% to 39% in adults and 72% to 75% in kids.
The latest strain has been spreading rapidly, not just in the US but internationally, with cases rising across the UK and Canada. Even Japan declared a nationwide influenza epidemic unusually early, with more than 6,000 cases reported.
But still, with a virus that can change rapidly and growing distrust around vaccines — even from top government officials — experts say the best protection is to get a shot as soon as possible and to wear an N95 mask in public.
If you do get sick, they recommend staying home. Antiviral medication is also often prescribed to reduce symptoms and shorten the duration of the flu.
