As an unusually severe flu season continues across the country, local healthcare workers are hoping they might soon see a reprieve. The state has been among the hardest hit, with its hospitals and clinics inundated with flu patients since before the Thanksgiving holiday.
The timing of its arrival and the nature of a newly emerged viral subtype combined to fuel the flu surge. “It's the predominant respiratory virus we’ve seen over the past month and a half,” said Jean Hoffman, MD, medical director of the emergency department at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital on the CU Anschutz Campus. “It is the highest we’ve seen in years.”
But as headlines trumpet a “record-breaking” season caused by a “super flu” bug, Hoffman, associate professor of emergency medicine and anesthesia at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine, said the best thing people can do is ignore the “hype” and focus on taking care of themselves.
“It's not severely affecting the wider population, such as those in their teens, 20s and 30s, that we saw with some of the prior historic flus,” she said. “Most of who is getting admitted and who's getting very sick are still those at-risk people.” Hoffman shares more about the severe flu season in the following Q&A.
Key points:
- The United States has seen high flu activity this season, and Colorado has remained one of the hardest hit.
- A newly emerged influenza A H3N2 virus (subclade K) that can evade older immunity and cause more severe symptoms is the predominant strain.
- The high flu activity has put strain on the healthcare system, heightening the importance of staying focused on healthy habits.