FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
A new, highly contagious and aggressive form of the flu is spreading rapidly this season. A mutation of influenza A H3N2, called subclade K, has been identified as the cause of the increase in cases globally, including in the US.
The World Health Organization stated on its website that the K variant marks "a significant evolution in influenza A (H3N2) viruses," which some say calls into question the effectiveness of this season's influenza vaccine against this strain.
Variant K causes more intense flu symptoms, including fever, chills, headache, fatigue, cough, sore throat and runny nose, according to experts.
Among 216 influenza A(H3N2) viruses collected as of September 28, 89.8% belonged to subclade K, a CDC report said.
The agency continues to publish a weekly influenza surveillance report, tracking which states are seeing the most activity for outpatient respiratory illnesses.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Neil Maniar, professor of public health practice at Northeastern University in Boston, shared details about the early severity of this emerging strain of flu.
"It's becoming clear that this is a fairly severe variant of the flu," he said, adding that "in other parts of the world where this variant has been prevalent, it has caused some serious illness and we are already seeing an aggressive flu season."
Subclade K is the "perfect storm" for an aggressive flu season, Maniar suggested, as vaccination rates are generally declining and it is uncertain whether this year's flu vaccine directly addresses this specific mutation.
"The vaccine is very important to get, but because it's not perfectly matched to this variant, I think that's also contributing to some extent to the severity of the cases we're seeing," he said.
Maniar emphasized that it is not too late to get the flu vaccine, as the peak flu season has not yet arrived.
"The vaccine still offers protection against serious disease caused by the subclade K variant that appears to be spreading," he said.
"There are likely to be many indoor gatherings and other events that create a risk of exposure, so protection is important."
Even healthy individuals can become seriously ill from the flu, Maniar noted, "so a vaccine is beneficial for almost everyone."
"Individuals typically begin to develop some degree of protection within a few days and gain full benefit within about two weeks, so now is the time for anyone who hasn't yet received the vaccine."
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