Hundreds hospitalized as "super flu" hits Utah
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More than 300 Utahns were hospitalized with the flu during each of the last two weeks as the virus swept the nation.
Why it matters: That volume of flu hospitalizations far exceeded any period in Utah in the past six years, per state data since 2020.
Zoom in: Flu activity is especially high in Weber and Morgan counties, per case surveillance.
- Meanwhile, hospitalizations per capita are highest in the three counties around the Uinta Basin: Uintah, Duchesne and Daggett.
The big picture: An unprecedented rise in flu cases comes as other sicknesses — such as the "winter vomiting bug," COVID and whooping cough — are slamming the United States this winter, Axios' Herb Scribner and Jason Lalljee report.
- It arrives as chaos has enveloped the CDC, with many questions about vaccination schedules for children.
Yes, but: There isn't an official "super flu."
- The term emerges every so often, typically when circulating flu strain is more severe than usual, experts say.
By the numbers: New CDC data shows there's been at least 15 million illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations and 7,400 deaths from the flu so far this season.
- Many of these cases have been tied to "subclade K" — a variant of the H3N2 virus, which is a subtype of influenza A. The most recent CDC tracking data shows that more than 90% of new flu cases in the country were from the variant, which wasn't specifically targeted in this year's flu vaccine.
Yes, but: The flu shots still protect against serious illness from subclade K, and antivirals "are completely effective against it," Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins University, told Axios.
- Since subclade K "is a variant to which the population has little immunity and [is] not covered completely by the current vaccine, many people are susceptible and are getting infected," he said.
What they're saying: "While we expect more flu cases this year, we aren't sure if this virus causes more severe disease on a per case basis yet," Andrew Pekosz, a Johns Hopkins virologist told Axios.
- "However, it is spreading so quickly that the increased numbers of influenza cases it causes can swamp a medical center with cases quickly. "
What to watch for: Common colds often begin slowly and emerge over several days, per the Mayo Clinic. But a case of the flu ignites within two or three days of coming into contact with the virus.