WASHINGTON (TNND) — Public health officials across multiple countries are raising concerns about a newly emergent variant of the influenza virus that has begun circulating widely since the summer.
The strain—identified in some regions as H3N2 subclade K—has gained traction internationally, prompting warnings from health leaders in Canada, Japan,the United Kingdom, and the United States. Early reports show a fast-moving wave of infections that is already sending vulnerable individuals to hospitals.
In the United States, infection levels remain low in most regions, yet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wastewater Surveillance System data shows flu activity rising in more than three dozen states as of early December.
“The CDC is warning that this flu season could be as bad as last year’s flu season, which was the worst on record on hospitalizations and severe disease,” said Shereef Elnahal, president of Oregon Health & Science University, during a recent press conference.
Dr. Dawn Nolt, an infectious disease expert at Oregon Health & Science University raised concerns of how the strain this flu season could have on the hospital.
“We don’t have that many beds,” Nolt said.
“So one bed that’s needed to treat a child with a respiratory illness is one less bed for the child who has to recover from surgery from appendicitis, who needs treatment for a bleeding disorder, or for the child who decides to take up skateboarding in the middle of winter and has a fracture.”
Oregon officials are watching the situation closely. Howard Chiou, medical director at the Oregon Health Authority, emphasized that while hospitalization and test positivity rates are currently typical for this point in the season, both indicators are trending upward. Given influenza’s rapid mutation rate, Chiou urged residents to get vaccinated rather than wait for clearer signs of severity.
“You don’t wait for an accident to put the seat belt on,” he said.
Vaccine uptake, however, remains a concern. Roughly 1 million Oregonians—about 23% of the state—have received a flu shot so far, a figure approximately five percentage points lower than last year. Officials attribute the decline partly to the broader rise in vaccine skepticism.
Rising case numbers in several states hint at the strain’s disruptive potential. Massachusetts has observed a sharp acceleration in activity, with flu-related hospitalizations more than doubling in just two weeks. In Iowa, an “extremely high” rate of illness forced the Moulton-Udell school district to close for two days and cancel athletic events after nearly 30% of students and staff became sick.
Nationally, the CDC estimates that between 1.9 million and 3.3 million Americans have contracted the flu since October, with as many as 38,000 requiring hospitalization. Some hospital systems—including those in New Jersey and California’s Sonoma County—have reinstated mask requirements to protect high-risk patients during the respiratory virus season.
Health experts note that although this year’s influenza season appears to be starting earlier, an early onset does not necessarily predict a more severe peak.
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