A highly contagious flu variant known as subclade K is spreading across the United States, raising concerns about vaccine effectiveness and increasing health risks this season.
A new and aggressive form of the flu, identified as subclade K, is making its way across the United States this season. This mutation of the influenza A H3N2 virus has been linked to a significant rise in flu cases globally, including within the U.S.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has noted that the K variant represents “a notable evolution in influenza A (H3N2) viruses,” prompting discussions about the effectiveness of this season’s flu vaccine against this particular strain.
Experts have reported that the K variant is associated with more severe flu symptoms, which include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, cough, sore throat, and runny nose. According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among 216 influenza A(H3N2) viruses collected since September 28, a staggering 89.8% were identified as subclade K.
The CDC continues to monitor the situation through its weekly influenza surveillance report, which tracks states experiencing the highest levels of outpatient respiratory illnesses, although these figures do not necessarily confirm influenza cases.
As of the week ending December 13, the CDC estimated that there have been at least 4.6 million flu-related illnesses, 49,000 hospitalizations, and 1,900 flu deaths this season. Health officials continue to recommend the flu vaccine as the most effective defense against the virus.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Neil Maniar, a professor of public health practice at Northeastern University in Boston, emphasized the severity of this emerging flu strain. “It’s becoming evident that this is a pretty severe variant of the flu,” he stated. “Certainly, in other parts of the world where this variant has been prevalent, it’s caused some severe illness, and we’re seeing an aggressive flu season already.”
Dr. Maniar described subclade K as a “perfect storm” for a challenging flu season, noting that overall vaccination rates are down and it remains uncertain whether this year’s flu vaccine effectively targets this specific mutation. “The vaccine is very important to get, but because it’s not perfectly aligned with this variant, I think that’s also contributing to some degree to the severity of cases we’re seeing,” he explained. “We’re going into this flu season with lower vaccination rates and a variant that in itself seems to be more aggressive.”
Despite the challenges posed by the K variant, Dr. Maniar reassured the public that it is not too late to receive the flu vaccine, as peak flu season has yet to arrive. “The vaccine still provides protection against serious illness resulting from the subclade K variant that seems to be going around,” he noted. “There are likely to be lots of indoor gatherings and other events that create risk of exposure, so protection is important.”
Dr. Maniar also pointed out that even healthy individuals can experience severe illness from the flu, making vaccination beneficial for nearly everyone. “Individuals typically start to develop some degree of protection within a few days and gain the full benefit within about two weeks, so now is the time for anyone who hasn’t gotten the vaccine yet,” he advised.
As the flu season progresses, health officials continue to stress the importance of vaccination and awareness regarding the K variant’s potential impact on public health, underscoring the need for vigilance as the season unfolds, according to Fox News.