Things haven’t gone smoothly this flu season, says the CDC. The bug showed up on time – yet numbers are climbing quicker than they did before. Still, it’s early days.
Last week saw hospital admissions for flu cross 19,000 – nearly doubling compared to the week before, fresh numbers from the CDC show. So far, roughly 7.5 million Americans have caught the virus; deaths linked to it now exceed 3,100.
A rise is showing up fast. This one links to a fresh version of the bug – called subclade K, part of flu A(H3N2). It appeared down under during their warm months.
“Anywhere we detect this virus, you can see a large surge of influenza cases coming afterwards,” says Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In the U.S., “the timing is not that much different from other flu seasons, but the number of cases, and how quickly those cases are increasing is something that is not usually seen this time of year.”
Last week, New York faced severe impact when state health authorities reported more than 71,000 cases – the highest weekly total ever seen there. Meanwhile, flu activity remains intense across several regions, especially spreading through parts of the northeast, midwest, and southern areas.
Red takes up most of the map, Pekosz notes, showing illness spreading – expect more next week.
“When you’re in the middle of seeing the curve start to go up, we just don’t have any sense of where it’s going to stop,” he says. “That’s the big concern in most of the medical communities right now.”
Something behind the rise? Not clear yet. This version does not seem worse, nor spreads faster compared to earlier ones, explains Florian Krammer, who studies viruses at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Still, shifts in the virus might help it dodge how our bodies fight back, he explains. Because people aren’t as protected anymore, its reach is growing fast – wider and faster than before
Ahead of expectations, this year’s flu shot might not fully align with the current virus version since it appeared after scientists locked in the recipe back in February. Not everyone agrees on how well it will work. According to Demetre Daskalakis, formerly at the helm of the CDC’s immunization division before stepping down in August, the circulating type could differ enough to reduce effectiveness. Despite that gap, he points out vaccination remains our strongest shield – less than ideal but better than nothing. Protection isn’t all-or-nothing; partial defense still counts
Early signs from the UK, where flu arrived sooner than usual, point to the shot blocking around 30 to 40 percent of adult hospital visits. According to Krammer, that fits past patterns – yet he notes it’s still a first look.
How to respond to thesurge
Most folks won’t dodge the flu unless they actually take the shot. Right now, less than half of American grown-ups have had one this year. A rough winter might be coming, leaving plenty exposed. Daskalakis thinks the health agency could push harder on getting shots into arms. Not enough is being done to nudge people toward protection.
“You’re not seeing the robust communication that you would expect,” he says. “Usually you’d expect to see more alerts coming out of CDC, more recommendations to be vaccinated.”
In response to that criticism, a CDC spokesperson said, “the CDC is strongly committed to keeping Americans healthy during flu season. CDC launched a new national outreach campaign designed to raise awareness and empower Americans with the tools they need to stay healthy during the respiratory illness season,” adding “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one. People should consult with their healthcare provider to understand their options to get a vaccine and should be informed about the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines.”
During a chat with NPR, Lisa Grohskopf – who works as a medical officer in the CDC’s flu department – spoke about why shots matter. Getting vaccinated is still worthwhile, even now, she explained, for those who have held off so far.
You can stay safe through different methods as well.
“If you’re using public transportation, if you’re in the room with a lot of other people, if you’re in a healthcare setting, it’s really smart to wear a mask,” says Krammer, especially higher-quality masks. “I was taking the subway yesterday in New York City. I was wearing an N95 mask.”
Staying apart matters most if one at home feels sick. That space between people slows things down. It just takes a little room to make a difference.
If you get infected, there are effective treatment options, especially when started with 48 hours of infection. “If you get an infection with influenza, that’s really a reason to see a physician, get diagnosed, and then take next steps,” says Krammer. “It’s not an infection that you should take lightly.”