This year’s flu season is already making its first victims across the US and Canada, as well. According to the virologists, this year, H1N1 influenza strain is prevalent, threatening kids and young adults.
“We’re definitely seeing the H1N1 virus in both adults and children this year. And H1N1 has a tendency to affect middle-aged adults more than other forms of influenza,” said Dr. Dee Hoyano.
While everybody can get the flu, undoubtedly, the H1N1 influenza strain is much dangerous to kids and young adults, but also for people with weakened immune systems. According to health officials, in comparison with the flu season of 2018, this year’s epidemic started slower, so there’s still enough time for everyone to get the flu shot.
“Kids get influenza, but the ones who are getting it we’re seeing more of because they’re more severely ill than last year,” Hoyano added.
H1N1 Influenza Strain Is Prevalent in This Year’s Flu Season, Threatening Kids And Young Adults
“Often, we see more than one influenza strain throughout the whole winter season. We start off with one and gradually when you get into the new year, you often see a different strain taking over. But for the peak we had in December and January, it’s been H1N1,” Dr. Dee Hoyano said.
Even though H1N1 influenza strain is of the same category as the swine flu virus that caused the pandemic ten years ago, the virologists are not as concerned as they were a decade ago. “Because it’s been around now for ten years, it’s become one of our regular influenza viruses,” Hoyano said.
“H1N1 is not a very different strain from what we saw last year or the year before. I always worry about influenza in general, but this isn’t something drastically different or as unpredictable as pandemic influenza,” she also added.
In short, there is still time for you to get your flu shot and keep influenza at bay during this year’s flu season which would be led by H1N1 influenza strain which is threatening kids and young adults more than other segments of the population.
Vadim is a passionate writer on various topics but especially on stuff related to health, technology, and science. Therefore, for Great Lakes Ledger, Vadim will cover health and Sci&Tech news.