You\u2019re not imagining it: Everyone seems to have the flu this year. And they\u2019ve got it bad.<\/p>\n
The numbers are especially grim in the Big Apple: According to preliminary hospital data<\/a> collected by New York City\u2019s syndromic surveillance system, more people visited the ER for flu symptoms the week of December 20 than they did during any other week in the last 10 years.<\/p>\n Even more troubling? This \u201csuper flu\u201d is going to get worse.<\/p>\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t hit the peak yet,\u201d Dr. Caitlin Rivers, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n More people visited the ER for flu symptoms the week of Dec. 20 than they did during any other week in the last 10 years. terovesalainen \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Flu rates in New York City rise<\/p>\n Flu season started early this year, and numbers have climbed throughout December.<\/p>\n Manhattan had a 104% spike in cases the week of December 6 to December 13, according to Patch<\/a>. That week, The Bronx had a 98% increase, Staten Island\u2019s cases went up 75%, Queens was at 65% higher and Brooklyn at 58%.<\/p>\n Last week alone, there were 9,857 ER visits for what\u2019s categorized as flu-like illness. That number is higher than any week during the 2017 to 18 or 2024 to 25 flu seasons \u2014 which, the Times noted, the CDC described as \u201chigh severity\u201d flu seasons.<\/p>\n Of course, most people with the flu don\u2019t go to the hospital \u2014 and many don\u2019t even get tested. But numbers for those who have tested positive for the flu have been high as well: The city had 24,607 positive tests reported by labs in the second week of December. That\u2019s higher than any week in the 2024 to 2025 flu season.<\/p>\n School attendance was also down just before Christmas break, according to Gothamist<\/a>.<\/p>\n Manhattan had a 104% spike in cases the week of Dec. 6 to Dec. 13. Last week alone, there were 9,857 ER visits for what\u2019s categorized as flu-like illness. Christopher Sadowski<\/p>\n Why is the flu so bad this year?<\/p>\n This year\u2019s flu has been dubbed the \u201csuper flu<\/a>\u201d due to how fast it\u2019s spreading and how hard it\u2019s hitting \u2014 and that\u2019s due to several reasons.<\/p>\n First and foremost, fewer people are getting\u00a0flu vaccines<\/a> than in previous years.<\/p>\n And unfortunately, those who have gotten the shot aren\u2019t entirely protected, since this year\u2019s vax isn\u2019t as effective as experts had hoped. <\/p>\n Flu vaccines begin production six to nine months in advance \u2014 and the virus is always mutating. That means that every year, the new flu vaccine is based on data and scientific predictions. And sometimes, those predictions fall short.<\/p>\n This year, a mutation called subclade K is driving the increase in the flu. Unfortunately, this year\u2019s flu vaccine doesn\u2019t align with the dominant strain. Christopher Sadowski<\/p>\n Usually, flu shots are 40% to 60% effective. This year, estimates are that it\u2019s only 32% to 39% effective in adults. Fortunately, it\u2019s fairing better in children with 72% to 75% efficacy. <\/p>\n \u201c[The dominant strain is] not very well-aligned with the vaccine this year, which means there is potentially a larger proportion of the population that is susceptible to the flu,\u201d said Neil Maniar, director of the master of public health program at\u00a0Northeastern University<\/a>.<\/p>\n The dominant strain this year is subclade K, a mutation of H3N2.<\/p>\n What are subclade K flu and H3N2 flu?<\/p>\n There are two types of flu that infect humans: Influenza A and Influenza B. Influenza A is the most common, and includes subtypes like H1N1 (better known as swine flu) and H5N1 (bird flu).<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s H3N2, which is the most common strain to cause flu infections. But H3N2 mutates all the time. This year, a mutation called subclade K<\/a> is driving the increase in the flu \u2014 not just in the US, but around the world.<\/p>\n What are the symptoms of this year\u2019s flu?<\/p>\n This year\u2019s flu symptoms are generally the same as in previous years. They include fever, fatigue, body aches, chills, runny or congested nose, vomiting, diarrhea and sore throat. <\/p>\n What should you do if you get the flu?<\/p>\n Despite lower efficacy this year, experts still recommend getting a flu shot \u2014 and it\u2019s not too late.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019re sick, it\u2019s really about taking it easy and hydrating.<\/p>\n