(NewsNation) — As the winter season fully kicks in, it’s expected that people across the country will get sick. Except this time, a new variant of the influenza virus has sounded the alarm — and earned the nickname “super flu.”
The “super flu” is a variant of influenza A H3N2 called subclade K. In the past, H3N2 influenza has been more severe and taken longer to recover from.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the super flu first made headlines in the United Kingdom, before making its way over the Atlantic to the U.S.
“The United Kingdom got hit pretty hard by this,” as did Europe and Australia, said Neil Maniar of Northeastern University. “I think that’s a pretty good harbinger of what we are likely to see here. This is going to be a very difficult flu season.”
What are the symptoms of ‘super flu ‘?
The K subclade of the virus causes similar symptoms to other strains, including:
- High fever
- Severe body aches
- Extreme fatigue
- Persistent cough
- Sore throat
- Intense headaches
People who have been infected with the “super flu” have also noticed shortness of breath, chest pain, gastrointestinal issues, and prolonged weakness.
What are treatments for ‘super flu’?
With the rise in cases not slowing down, doctors have acknowledged that antiviral medications are a key tool for combating severe cases of the flu.
The CDC recommends four specific drugs: Tamiflu, Xofluza, Relenza, and Rapivab.
Xofluza is a pill taken for early treatment of uncomplicated flu in people 5 years and older. Relenza is the medication for people 7 years and older, while Rapivab is provided for early treatment of flu in people 6 months and older.
“Be sure to drink plenty of fluids, get sufficient rest and take Tylenol or Advil to manage fever, headaches and muscle aches at home,” noted Dr. Mark Mulligan, NYU Langone Health’s Vaccine Center.
What are doctors saying about ‘super flu’? Is the vaccine still effective?
Doctors have been warning about the flu since September, but the super flu, plus low vaccination rates, have them on high alert.
“This can be a very serious illness. We need to take it seriously, and we need to take measures to protect ourselves,” Maniar said. “As we go deeper into the flu season, this is likely to be a tough one.”
Experts fear relatively low vaccine uptake in the U.S. could lead to a historically bad flu season, but they say there’s still time to course-correct.
“It is certainly not too late, especially as we’re thinking about holiday gatherings and travel,” said infectious disease specialist Dr. Andrew Pekosz. “Now would be a great time for individuals to go out and get that last influenza vaccine or that COVID vaccine to provide one layer of protection for this holiday season.”
There has been concern that this year’s flu vaccine isn’t a perfect match for the K subtype of the virus, but Pekosz said it still offers good protection.
“There are three different influenza strains that cause influenza. The vaccine covers all three. And with two of them, it looks like there’s a pretty good match right now … and we think it’ll provide at least partial protection against this clade K H2N2 virus.”
The CDC recommends the flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older.
Where have ‘super flu’ outbreaks been the worst?
The latest flu data from the CDC has been delayed by the Christmas holiday, but as of mid-December there was a substantial uptick in people testing positive for the virus.
The virus has reached “very high” levels in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Louisiana and Colorado. On its own, Manhattan had a 104% spike in cases earlier this month.
“We see the sudden spike in New York because of their more dense population,” said Hartford Hospital’s Dr. Ulysses Wu. “They’re a center for international as well as domestic travel.”
Beyond those states, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan and South Carolina have also been hit hard by the illness.
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