Flu season starts early and is increasing in New York

A hospital center in New York where the number of flu consultations doubled in some facilities in the first weeks of December, leading to an unusually early start to the season.

a new one Early and aggressive rise in flu cases was reported new York and other states of the United States, driven by the spread of a Variant called H3N2 subclass K. This phenomenon is, according to information from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)has raised concerns among experts about the speed and scale of the outbreak, particularly among children and young people.

Although the spread of the flu was remarkable, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the new variant does not appear to increase the severity of the disease. Experts such as Michael PhillipsChief of Epidemiology for the hospital system NYU Langone Healthwarned of the unusual coincidence of two consecutive severe seasons and noted the need to maintain vigilance, especially among vulnerable populations. Furthermore, the decline in vaccination coverage poses an additional challenge to controlling the outbreak.

A flu vaccination clinic for children and adolescents. Health officials warn that lower vaccination rates make controlling the current outbreak more difficult.

For the week ending December 13, the percentage of people who tested positive for the flu in the United States increased by 8.1%while 3.2% of medical consultations corresponded to respiratory diseases and exceeded the usual threshold of 3.1%, so that CDC. In new YorkTypically, flu season intensifies in mid-December, but this year cases appeared earlier. In hospitals and clinics NYU Langone, 1,200 patients They tested positive the week of December 7th, twice as many as the previous week. In Brooklyn, 30% of adults with respiratory problems and 65% of those under 24 years old Those who came for consultations were diagnosed with the flu, according to Phillips.

The pattern observed in New York is repeated nationwide. The data of the CDC show that most flu cases are concentrated Children and young people. This season, the death of a minor due to the flu was reported. Phillips explained that this behavior is common because outbreaks usually first appear in children before affecting adults.

Colorized microscopic image of the virus

Colorized microscopic image of the influenza A virus (H3N2), subclass K, which has been identified as the primary cause of the increase in infections seen in New York and other states.

The variant H3N2 subclass Kfirst identified in Australia in August, is responsible for the majority of cases in the United States. Although the WHO Since the country has not seen an increase in the severity of the disease linked to this variant, some specialists have expressed concern about the development of the season.

The increase in cases was particularly pronounced in New York (29%), Colorado (18.2%), Louisiana (16.3%) And New Jersey (17.9%) in the first week of December. Hospitalizations have also increased in these states. Although vaccination can reduce the severity of the flu, the number of people vaccinated has declined. As of November 29th 127.75 million doses of the flu vaccine, a number 24% lower than the same period in 2019 when they were delivered 168.52 million dosesaccording to the CDC.

View of the H3N2 influenza virus taken in an electron microscope. Although it is not associated with greater severity, its rapid spread is causing concern among epidemiologists.

Phillips noted that although there have been cases of COVID-19these have not resulted in hospitalizations among young and healthy people. In contrast, severe cases of influenza requiring hospitalization have been observed in relatively young patients.

The specialist recommended that people with previous illnesses and respiratory problems undergo early diagnostic tests with the aim of starting antiviral treatment as soon as possible.