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 B strains instead.
A single wave of Flu A once swept across nations, leaving behind a trail marked by intense sickness. This strain has sparked global outbreaks before – take the deadly surge in 1918, which claimed no fewer than fifty million lives around the planet.
Winter brings flu season, says the Cleveland Clinic, when type A usually shows up first. By February or early March, it is at its peak. Sometimes it lingers into April. Type B often begins gaining ground around March, arriving a bit later than A.
Folks often get hit harder by influenza A compared to type B, though both play out in unique ways in kids. Spreading just as easily, these viruses tend to knock down little ones and elderly folks alike.
How long does it take for flu A to show symptoms?
A day or so before sniffles show up, people often pass along the illness without knowing it – this silent spread lasts into the first feverish phase. Most adults carry the bug for around two days after contact, though some take as long as four to feel changes. Kids tend to release viruses over a wider window, sometimes ten days or more past infection. Health officials note transmission begins roughly one full day prior to coughs or chills kicking in.
How long does flu A last? Adults, children
Five to seven days is how long most healthy adults take to bounce back from the flu. By day four, the fever usually steps down. Symptoms hang around – coughs, tiredness, stuffy head – that can stretch out through the week. It isn’t rare to still feel a bit shaky even when the main illness fades. Coughing might stick past the sixth day. Feeling drained? That too. After seven full days, if your temperature climbs again – or stays – a visit makes sense. Worsening signs: breathing gets tight, chest hurts. Don’t wait then.
Is H2N2 Flu Type A or B?
Around since the 1950s, H2N2 emerged as one version of flu A, shifting over time into different forms behind the outbreak labeled Asian flu. Different from that, today’s rising cases in places like New Jersey come from another branch – flu A’s H3N2 strain. A newer change within it, named K subclade, appears stronger than earlier versions. Not split by letters and numbers, type B divides instead into two branches: Yamagata and Victoria. These groupings help track how flu B moves through populations each season.
Super flu virus symptoms
Fever spikes show up fast when the K version of flu A hits, just like its cousins do. Muscle pain tags along hard, sometimes worse than usual. Tiredness drags on, deeper than a normal cold. Coughing sticks around longer than expected. Throat irritation joins early, often sharp. Head pressure builds without warning. Some people dodge it completely – that is what the CDC notes.
Winter break is near, yet flu cases surge in New Jersey schools. This year’s outbreak may turn out stronger than past seasons. Kids are flooding urgent care spots, filling ERs fast. A serious form of the virus now moves through communities nationwide. Health centers report steady streams of young patients. The situation grows heavier just as holidays approach.