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 A New Flu Soup This Year

They say there are only two things that are unavoidable: death and taxes. Maybe it’s time to add a third to that list – the seasonal flu.

 

Every winter, like clockwork, the flu begins to make its way through our communities. Flu season is upon us, and, unfortunately, it appears a new more virulent and vaccine resistant strand is the dominant strand this season:

 

While coming down with the flu is never ideal, this year a newly emerged version of Influenza A H3N2 — known as subclade K — could make this winter’s flu wave tougher than usual.

 

What is H3N2 — and what is subclade K?

Influenza A H3N2 is one of the main seasonal flu subtypes globally and is often associated with more severe illness compared to other flu strains.

 

Subclade K is not a new type of flu, but rather a mutation of Influenza A H3N2 that has established a dominance this flu season.

The return of the seasonal flu also means a return to the medical establishment and their allies in the mainstream media pushing for individuals to get the so-called “flu vaccine.”

The truth is – even in the best years, the flu vaccine doesn’t work.

Last year’s “flu vaccine” was only 36% effective. Even worse, for some high-risk groups like the elderly, the effective rate was even LOWER than 36%.

 

Experts expect this year’s flu vaccine to be even LESS effective because of this new strand of the flu:

 

Public officials warn of a mismatch between the variant and the most recent flu vaccines — meaning vaccinated individuals may be protected from other variants but still vulnerable to subclade K.

As STAT News points out, vaccine manufacturers rely on guidance from the World Health Organization to know what flu variants their vaccines should target — but in cases such as what’s happening now — what variant reigns dominant may not peak until after vaccines are formulated. This gap leaves vaccine manufacturers targeting variants that aren’t the biggest threat in a given season.

Not only is the flu vaccine less effective against this strand, the strand is also more virulent and dangerous to all age groups:

 

Common symptoms associated with H3N2 are similar to all Influenza flu viruses and include fever, cough, runny nose, fatigue, muscle aches and chills. However, infection with this strain tends to be more severe across all age groups, particularly children and the elderly. Specifically, patients with H3N2 can experience higher fevers that can then lead to complications, such as difficulty breathing, dehydration and hospitalizations.