This flu season looks grim as H3N2 emerges with mutations
Health officials in the United Kingdom are warning that this yearβs flu season for the Northern Hemisphere is looking like it will be particularly roughβand the US is not prepared.
The bleak outlook is driven by a new strain of H3N2, which emerged over the summer (at the end of the Southern Hemisphereβs season) sporting several mutations. Those changes are not enough to spark the direst of circumstancesβa deadly pandemicβbut they could help the virus dodge immune responses, resulting in an outsize number of severe illnesses that could put a significant strain on hospitals and clinics.
In the UK, the virus has taken off. The regionβs flu season has started around five weeks earlier than normal and is making a swift ascent.


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