"(Christina House / Los Angeles Times) Fueled by a new viral strain, flu is hitting California early - and doctors are warning they expect the season may be particularly tough on young children. Concentrations of flu detected in wastewater have surged in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the test positivity rate is rising in Los Angeles County and Orange County, according to state and county data. Hospitalizations and emergency room visits for flu are also rising in L.A. and Orange counties."
""We are at the point now where we're starting to see a sharp rise in flu cases. This is a few weeks earlier than we usually experience, but very much akin to what was seen in the Southern Hemisphere's experience with flu during their winter," said Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional physician director of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California."
"One area of concern this winter has been the rise of a relatively new flu subvariant, known as H3N2 Flu A subclade K, which appeared toward the end of summer. That was months after officials decided which strains this fall's flu vaccine would target. Subclade K "is causing an active, early flu season, with more cases occurring in some countries within the Northern Hemisphere," the California Department of Public Health said."
Flu activity in California is rising earlier than usual, with wastewater concentrations surging in the San Francisco Bay Area and test positivity increasing in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Hospitalizations and emergency room visits for influenza are climbing in those counties, and clinics are seeing most cases now. Health officials report the season began weeks earlier, resembling patterns observed in the Southern Hemisphere. A newer H3N2 Flu A subclade K emerged toward the end of summer, after vaccine strain selection, and is linked to active early transmission. It remains unknown whether subclade K will reduce this season's vaccine effectiveness.
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