What’s the mutated H3N2 subclade K virus spreading in US, Canada after UK? – Firstpost

Christmas is around us, but a mutated strain of the influenza virus is stealing cheer for many in the US, Canada and the UK. Cities across the three countries have been hit with a new variant of influenza A (H3N2) called subclade K, which emerged earlier this year. It’s dubbed the “super flu”.      
  
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described it as a seasonal respiratory infection caused by the virus. The symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, congestion, body aches, and headaches, among others.     

What is super flu, a strain of influenza A H3N2?  

The “super flu” is a mutated version of the influenza A (H3N2 )strain called “subclade K”. This new variant emerged earlier this year and is spreading rapidly in several countries, like the US, Canada, and the UK. 

An associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, Dr Simon Clarke, decodes that the H and N (of H3N2) refer to haemagglutinin and neuraminidase, two proteins on the surface of the virus, reports  The Telegraph. “The numbers simply classify which versions of those proteins are present. It also helps us categorise strains. H3N2 just happens to be the variant dominating this year.” 

Medical experts raise concerns, saying that this influenza virus is constantly evolving and evading our immune system. A professor of molecular and cellular virology at the Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Ed Hutchinson, was quoted by the publication as saying, “We have had it and already recovered well, but a lot of people are getting infected.” 

While immunity around this time of year is weak among populations, this flu is circulating faster than usual, according to medical experts.

Dr Scott Roberts, an assistant professor of infectious diseases at the Yale School of Medicine, told the  New York Times  that this subvariant of the virus will likely spread more than in previous years, leading to more infections overall, because it may be more adept at avoiding immunity from vaccines and previous infections.

According to him, last year’s flu season was the roughest in nearly a decade, and he added that there generally aren’t two consecutive bad flu seasons. “But a lot of us are concerned that with this new, slightly more-mutated-than-usual subclade K strain, we may see that,” Dr Roberts warned. 

However,  some argue that calling the virus a “super flu” is misleading. Lawrence Young, professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick, told the  BBC, “It’s just a flu variant that is clearly a little bit more infectious than normal, but it’s misleading and a bit frightening to call it super flu.” 

What are the symptoms and risk factors? 

Despite a new variant, the typical symptoms of this flu are similar to the seasonal flu: Sudden high temperature, tiredness and weakness, a headache, general aches and pains, a dry, chesty cough, sore throat, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, stomach pain, feeling sick and being sick, a runny or blocked nose and constant sneezing.

But the NYT report points out that the “super flu” affects patients faster than other respiratory viruses. There is a gradual progression of runny noses and aching throats with Covid, but super flu patients experience all the signs of the flu, such as fevers, congestion, chills, and full-body aches.   

Doctors raise “red flags” to watch while being infected. “Difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion, persistent high fever, severe dehydration, or symptoms that suddenly worsen” are serious signs, Dr Aslam told  The Telegraph.   

Children under five (especially under two), older adults, pregnant women and those suffering from medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, weakened immune systems, or neurological disorders are at higher risk of serious flu-related complications.  

What can be done to prevent the ‘super flu’? 

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has recommended some preventive measures to help people recover more quickly: Rest, enough sleep, staying hydrated, paracetamol or ibuprofen to lower temperature, and avoiding work or school until disinfected. 

Dr Clarke was quoted as saying by The Telegraph that there was “no magic bullet”. Basics work such as handwashing, avoiding crowded indoor gatherings, and staying home when unwell.

There are lessons from the pandemic that still need to be implemented, such as masking and working from home.

Vaccination helps, especially for children, as they catch and spread flu easily.

How is flu spreading in the US, UK and Canada? 

According to  Fox40, the new variant is spreading across the United States, but New York City is the worst hit. In the first week of December, local health officials reported around 14,000 flu cases, a 460 per cent increase in infections. Last year, the city recorded 2,500 cases. 

Dr Ulysses Wu, chief epidemiologist at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, told  NewsNation, “We see the sudden spike in New York because of their more dense population. They’re at the centre for international as well as domestic travel.” 

An infectious disease specialist, Dr Andrew Pekosz, asserted that data show how this “super flu” is spreading everywhere. During a public health briefing on Tuesday (December 16), Pekosz asserted, “Colorado, Louisiana and New York are that are experiencing really fast increases in influenza. In places like Maryland, the subclade K virus seems to be the dominant one.” 

In the UK, an average of 3,140 patients were in hospital with flu in England last week, according to figures published on Thursday (December 18). Cases are up 18 per cent compared to a week ago, but it’s a smaller increase than the 55 per cent jump seen the week before, reports the  BBC.

The rate of increase is also slowing in Wales, and the number of hospital flu cases in Scotland and Northern Ireland has dropped. However, it is still “too early to say if flu has peaked”, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

The H3N2 flu strain is rapidly increasing in Canada, with many landing in hospitals. Children are among those being hit hard, with most infections being detected in people under 19, according to Health Canada, reports  Globe News. 

Dr Robert Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told  TODAY.com  that the variant had caused a surge in infections in Japan. It had declared an influenza epidemic after witnessing a harsh flu season. 

With inputs from agencies