Folks across the U.S., especially in New Jersey, face a sharp rise in flu cases this season – January bringing colder weather along with it. Influenza A hits harder than before, health labs confirm. The CDC’s latest round of analysis points to many locals carrying what some now call the “super flu,” technically known as subclade K. Schools reopen just as clinics overflow. Hospitals report longer waits, crowded rooms, rising concern. This strain spreads fast, packs serious risk. A fresh version of the flu, called H3N2 subclade K, comes from a familiar type known as flu A – the kind that spreads when cold months arrive. Even though flu A and flu B bring about alike signs, their impact shifts across infants, kids, and elderly people. This time around, flu A holds the lead in New Jersey, yet cases tied to subclade K are climbing fast. By February, flu B might rise too. Few spots nearby are seeing a big rise in flu activity – New Jersey hits “very high,” so do parts of New York state and its largest city, while Pennsylvania logs numbers just below that mark. This is how each kind of flu virus behaves when spread picks up fast across the region. Flu symptoms 2026 Out of nowhere, flu hits both grown-ups and kids fast. Tiredness shows up first, along with shivers. Then comes a temperature that crosses 100.4°F – that’s what counts as a fever, per Harvard experts. Some people climb even higher, past 102.4°, which marks a stronger one. Aching muscles tag behind, while heads throb and throats turn raw. Breathing gets harder when noses clog or drip nonstop. Coughing joins in too. Most of it fades within days; sometimes it drags for nearly two weeks. The Cleveland Clinic tracks these patterns closely. Upset stomachs and throwing up might happen when kids get the flu, according to Dr. Stuart Ray from Johns Hopkins. A strange thing – some folks stop tasting food or noticing scents, no matter the virus they have. That odd change shows up sometimes even with coronavirus infections. Differences Between Flu A and Flu B? A single strain stands out during flu season – subclade K. This form stems from a shift in flu A’s structure, making it hit harder. Older people feel the effects more deeply because of how it changed. Influenza A and B remain the main types tracked by health experts. So far this flu season in the U.S., illness numbers sit at eleven million. Hospital stays have reached one hundred twenty thousand. Five thousand lives lost already. From samples checked, most – ninety-four percent – are flu type A. That group carries subclade K inside it. The rest, roughly six out of every hundred, come from flu … Read more