"California could see an early start to the annual flu season, as a combination of low vaccination rates and late mutations to the virus may leave the state particularly exposed to transmission, health experts say. Already, there are warning signs. Los Angeles County recently reported its first flu death of the season, and other nations are reporting record-breaking or powerful, earlier-than-expected flu seasons."
"The timing of this new flu subvariant - called H3N2 subclade K - is particularly problematic. It emerged toward the end of the summer, long after health officials had already determined how to formulate this fall's flu vaccine, a decision that had to be made in February. H3N2 subclade K seems to be starting to dominate in Japan and Britain, Hudson said."
"Last year's flu season was the worst California had seen in years, and it's not usual for there to be back-to-back bad flu seasons. But a combination of a decline in flu vaccination rates and a "souped-up mutant" is particularly concerning this year, according to Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco. "That may translate into more people getting infected. And as more people get infected, a proportion of them will go to the hospital," Chin-Hong said."
Los Angeles County recorded the first flu death of the season amid warning signs of an early influenza surge. Viral activity is expected to increase within weeks, with an early and likely sharp start to the season. A decline in flu vaccination rates combined with the emergence of H3N2 subclade K raises concern for increased infections and hospitalizations. The new subvariant appeared after vaccine strain decisions were finalized in February, creating a potential mismatch with this fall's vaccine. H3N2 subclade K appears to be gaining ground in countries such as Japan and Britain.
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