As Pasadena residents prepare for holiday travel and gatherings, flu season is hitting harder and earlier than last year. A new variant is circulating that could make more people susceptible to infection.
The variant, called subclade K, has spread rapidly across Europe and several countries in East Asia, the Pan American Health Organization said. Health authorities warn the timing couldn’t be worse as families come together for celebrations.
Nearly 3 million Americans have already caught the flu this season, according to CDC estimates. An estimated 30,000 people have been hospitalized, and 1,200 have died from flu complications, the agency reports.
Five jurisdictions are already experiencing high or very high levels of influenza-like illness, the CDC reports. They include New York City, New York state, Louisiana, Colorado and New Jersey.
Lab-confirmed flu hospitalization rates are higher now than at this time last year, according to the CDC.
Andrew Pekosz is a microbiology and immunology professor at Johns Hopkins University. He told reporters during a briefing Tuesday the country is “at the beginning of what we probably are going to see as a pretty severe influenza season driven primarily by this clade K virus.”
The Pan American Health Organization has issued a call to strengthen surveillance and promote vaccination. The organization particularly urges shots for older adults and people with risk factors.
The new variant is especially concerning because it has mutations. Pekosz said those changes are “making it less able to be recognized by your body’s immune response.”
This year’s flu shot was created before researchers identified the strain, but officials still recommend getting vaccinated. The shot appears to protect against severe infections.
“Although evidence on vaccine effectiveness for the current season remains limited, preliminary data from Europe indicate that vaccination continues to provide protection comparable to previous years against severe disease, including hospitalization,” the Pan American Health Organization said.
Health authorities in countries seeing the variant’s spread have not reported increases in severity of influenza cases, according to the organization. That offers some reassurance as the season progresses.
The CDC recently reported the first death of a child from the flu this season. Last flu season was the deadliest for U.S. children in more than a decade, with 280 fatalities, according to the agency.
Less than 40% of children have gotten a flu shot this year, according to CDC data. That’s lower than this time during the previous six flu seasons.
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine. The agency also advises avoiding close contact with sick people, covering coughs and sneezes, and washing hands frequently.
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