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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nYou\u2019re not imagining it. Flu is on the rise across Florida and the rest of the country this holiday season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And all eyes are on a mutated form of the influenza A strain H3N2 known as clade K or subclade K, which has caused a severe flu season in several countries and is behind many of the reported flu cases in the U.S. this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clade K is \u201ccurrently driving influenza cases in the U.S.\u201d and \u201chas mutations that may allow it to evade some, but not all, of the influenza vaccine-induced protection,\u201d Andrew Pekosz, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center of Excellence in Influenza Research and Response, said Tuesday during an online news conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The level of flu varies by state. But overall, more people have recently tested positive<\/a> for influenza, with flu-related visits to ER and outpatient centers ticking up this week nationally compared to the previous week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu-related hospitalizations and deaths have also increased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Florida, reports of flu and influenza-like illness remain elevated across much of the state, though it has begun to tick down in some areas, including Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, according to the state\u2019s most recent report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While it\u2019s difficult to know how severe this year\u2019s flu season will be, experts like Pekosz believe there\u2019s a chance the U.S. will see a \u201cpretty severe influenza season\u201d primarily fueled by the clade K virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it\u2019s not just flu making people sick. Other respiratory viruses are circulating, too, and causing a wide variety of symptoms. Dr. Carlos Pe\u00f1aherrera, director of Baptist Health South Florida\u2019s Doral ER, is seeing it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nasal and ear congestion. Sore throats. Cough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEverything you don\u2019t want to bring to the holiday dinner table,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The country is still in the midst of flu season, which generally runs from October through May, and no one wants to spend the holidays sneezing and coughing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what to know:<\/p>\n\n\n What is the dominant influenza strain in Florida?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The predominant strain in the state is influenza A H3, according to the most recent report by the Florida Department of Health. This strain, also known as A(H3N2), is a subtype of influenza A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can you still get a flu vaccine? How effective is it against influenza this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, you can still get a flu vaccine. The 2025-2026 shots were formulated to help protect against three main viruses: a H1N1 virus, an A(H3N2) virus, and a B\/Victoria lineage virus, according to the CDC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This year\u2019s flu vaccine works well against those three strains, but the country\u2019s flu situation could be a bit complicated with the appearance of the subclade K variant, according to Pekosz, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Influenza, like other viruses, constantly mutates. And the \u201cK\u201d variant that is gaining ground in the country was identified several months<\/a> after scientists had already selected the strains to include in this year\u2019s flu vaccine formulation, CNN reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even so, the existing flu vaccine is still expected to provide some protection against the new subclade K variant that is going around, according to Pekosz and Dr. Michelle Barron, senior medical director for infection control and prevention at University of Colorado Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe vaccines still work. Your body will know that the virus is present. But these mutations can evade your immune system. When the strains in the vaccine don\u2019t match what is circulating in the community, you have a vaccine mismatch<\/a>,\u201d Barron said in a university blog post. \u201cThe flu shot still protects you. When it\u2019s a mismatch, you might get sick, but the vaccine decreases the likelihood that you will be hospitalized and decreases the likelihood that you will die from complications of the flu.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of Dec. 12, Florida and over a dozen other states have already reported sequences of subclade K<\/a> this flu season, according to GISAID, a global influenza tracking database. The CDC, in its latest flu report, also notes that the majority of the 163 influenza A(H3N2) virus samples it has collected since Sept. 28 in the country belonged to subclade K.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pekosz said it\u2019s still not known if this version of the flu will cause more severe illness overall or if it\u2019s simply just better at evading immune system protections. What is clear is that cases are increasing across the country and \u201cthat\u2019s a trend that we\u2019re sure will continue into the new year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 2025-2026 flu vaccine is recommended for people six months and older to help reduce risk for severe illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is there more flu this year compared to the previous season?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While flu is circulating, Florida has not seen as much of the virus compared to the same time period last year, state data shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The CDC considers the country\u2019s flu-related activity to be similar to past seasons, though experts are closely monitoring what happens with the \u201cK\u201d flu variant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/download-7-2.webp?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1\")
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