Influenza cases increased among adults and children

Influenza cases have been on the rise among young people in recent weeks, stated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The H3N2 lineage is responsible for the majority of illnesses, which scientists believe is particularly dangerous since it mutates more quickly than other influenza strains.

Although flu activity in the United States is relatively low, more than 90% of cases have been among children and young adults aged 5 to 24.

Previously, H3N2 was the dominant strain was during the 2017-18 flu season, which witnessed 710,000 flu-related hospitalizations and 52,000 flu-related fatalities in the United States, the highest number since the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is looking into a flu outbreak at the University of Michigan, where hundreds of students have tested positive for the virus. Last month, flu epidemics have been observed on various college campuses.

According to the CDC, the flu season normally lasts from October through May, with activity peaking between December and February.

Experts are afraid that flu-infected college students and young people might spread the virus across the country when they return home for the holidays.

According to Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert at the University of Toronto, “This is the time of the year when many people are going to be gathering together for the holidays for either Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s, and there’s just the potential to amplify it.”

He added, “it’s coming. It’s not quite clear how large a flu season we’re going to have but we are going to have a flu season.”

Experts are advising individuals to obtain both the COVID-19 and flu vaccines, noting that an increase in flu infections this winter might add to the strain on the country’s healthcare system, which is already coping with a spike in coronavirus cases.

The CDC has further advised persons with flu-like symptoms to get tested for both influenza and COVID-19.

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