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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has returned to publishing its seasonal FluView updates, reporting that for the week ending November 8, positive influenza tests are up 2% over the previous week, and 1,665 patients were admitted to hospitals with influenza. According to global reports, the mutated H3N2 flu virus is spreading faster than usual, and CDC found this subtype in more than 62% of subtyping performed for the past 2 weeks of data gathering. Experts are forecasting a potentially severe flu season once again because the mutated subtype is different from the H3N2 strain included in this year’s flu vaccine in the United States.
Ramping up: Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan are already witnessing severe flu outbreaks, indicating it’s only a matter of time before the United States may see similar trends, and respiratory virus season has only just begun.