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Topics: Health
Callum Jones
It might be festive season, but this time of year also sees illnesses such as the flu running riot in households across the US.
It is, of course, perfectly normal for flu and Covid-19 cases to be at their highest in the winter - but this year, a so-called 'super flu' is taking its toll and spreading 'worse than any other year'.
The strain of flu has officially been named H3N2, which is recognised as one of two widely circulating strains of influenza. While H3N2 is the bigger group of viruses, a subtype known as 'K' is currently the most dominant strain in the US, and has also been sweeping the UK too.
This particular combination can cause a more severe level of illness than other strains of the flu, with the older generation and those with underlying health conditions most at risk.
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Because cases are on the rise, the strain has since been dubbed the 'super flu'.
Unlike the common cold, which many of us will catch this winter, the flu often develops very quickly and suddenly.
It can present a wide range of symptoms, from extreme tiredness to fever.
H3N2, in particular, presents similar symptoms to those of most seasonal flus, including a cough, runny nose, body aches, and possibly vomiting and diarrhoea.
For the most part, the flu can be treated at home and managed with plenty of rest and fluids. All things well, symptoms will improve or disappear entirely in five to seven days.
However, those experiencing severe symptoms such as a high fever, signs of dehydration, or trouble breathing are advised to seek help from a medical professional.
"The flu is not just a cold. It can be quite severe," Hopkins added.
H3N2 subclade K has been detected in more than half of all US states, and experts are warning people that it could prove particularly nasty for the elderly and children.
“Knowing that there’s a new mutated strain out there and H3N2 generally causes more severe disease is concerning,” Dr. Robert Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told TODAY.com.
Data sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and detailed in the latest FluView report found that out of the 91 H3N2 virus variations recorded since September, 85 percent were the subclade K variant.
The CDC revealed in its latest findings that flu activity is up seven percent in the US in the past week.
19,000 people have been hospitalized this season, while 730 deaths from the flu have been reported.