Everything You Need to Know About the “Super Flu”
Down bad with the flu? A Temple doctor weighs in on what's going on with this season's strain.
The super flu is infecting millions of Americans right now. Here’s what you need to know. / Photograph via Getty Images
There has been a lot of illness going around this winter — from that nasty throat virus to RSV to COVID (which, yes, is still circulating). And now, a “super flu” has been leaving many people feeling like absolute garbage.
Flu activity is currently at a record high, thanks — or should we say, no thanks — to a new variant, subclade K of the H3N2 strain. An estimated 11 million people have been infected with the flu so far this season, according to the CDC’s most recent flu tracking, and in Pennsylvania, cases are up about 10 percent compared to this time last year.
So, what exactly is this “super flu,” and how can we best evade it? Jamie Garfield, a Temple Health pulmonologist and professor of thoracic medicine and surgery at Temple’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine, has some answers.
People have been calling this year’s flu a “super flu.” Why is that?
The term “super flu” is mainly coming from what we saw in Japan over the summer and in Europe a little bit more in the fall — it’s why we’re anticipating the U.S. could see a very severe flu season. H3N2, the strain associated with the super flu, hasn’t been dominant since the 2016 flu season, and that was very severe.
We’re too early in flu season to be able to comment on morbidity and mortality, but H3N2 might be more virulent than other flu strains — it’s certainly been causing a lot of infections. The CDC is reporting we’re seeing more and more flu infections every week and 90 percent of the cases of flu are H3N2. Hence, the term “super flu.”
What are the symptoms?
Patients are coming in with pretty similar symptoms to previous years, although there’s a bit more gastrointestinal symptoms, especially among kids. But mostly it’s the same symptoms: fevers, malaise, aches, shortness of breath, respiratory complaints, coughs, sputum, runny nose, watery eyes — all these things that make you feel awful. And people claim that these symptoms feel more severe compared to what they’ve experienced in the past.
Who’s most at risk?
The high-risk groups are the same as in previous years: kids under five years of age, adults over the age of 65, anyone whose immune system is suppressed, pregnant individuals, and people with chronic medical conditions.
Will the flu shot actually protect people this season?
Vaccination is the best protection that we have against an influenza infection. But, this time, unfortunately, the 2024 strains that were used to develop the vaccine are a little bit different than this influenza strain, so it has more of a chance to evade our immune system. In years prior, we’ve seen vaccine efficacy of 50 to 70 percent in adults. The efficacy of this flu vaccine for the current strain is lower than that — more in the 40 percent range or perhaps even lower. It’s not as good as it has been in years prior, but it’s still better than nothing and I think that some of what we’re seeing in terms of flu prevalence this season is driven by decreased vaccine uptake. During the two-month government shutdown, there wasn’t data on flu infections and I think it caused a misunderstanding that the flu wasn’t around and people didn’t get vaccinated.
Even though I recommend getting the flu shot at the beginning of fall, it’s never too late. If you haven’t gotten your flu shot already, you should get it now.
What else can people do to stay healthy?
I’ve heard the analogy that the flu shot is like a cast on a broken limb. It offers some protection, but we still have to take care of ourselves. Washing your hands with soap and water is probably the best thing that you can do when you touch surfaces, especially when you’re in public spaces. I also advise my patients to wear a mask when they’re in particularly congested areas.
If you start to feel really unwell and suspect it’s the flu, what should you do?
If you have been exposed to someone, or you have reason to believe that you have the flu, you should try to get seen by your primary-care doctor or get an over-the-counter test because there is treatment, including Oseltamivir, which is effective in reducing the severity and the duration of illness. It only has efficacy, though, when patients start it within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.
Otherwise, rest, drink plenty of fluids, wash your hands, and avoid being around others. If you have to go out, wear a mask.
