D.C. braces for flu and colder than average winter
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Experts worldwide are warning of a new flu outbreak as the DMV begins tracking seasonal flu cases.
Why it matters: It could be a cold-season double whammy, with a new flu strain and a chillier-than-normal winter forecast for D.C.
Driving the news: The new flu strain, a version of H3N2, emerged over the summer.
- Experts are worried that it doesn't match the strain used to create this year's flu vaccine, though such mismatches are common with seasonal flu strains.
- Health officials in Canada and the U.K. have already warned of an H3N2 wave that's sending people to the hospital.
State of play: It's unclear if this strain has been detected in the DMV.
- And we don't know how widespread this version is in the U.S. yet: Because of the government shutdown, the CDC has delayed any insights, updates and reports.
- Maryland just posted its respiratory illness dashboard, with flu cases currently low. D.C.'s tracker doesn't show an outlying spike yet, compared to the past two years.
- "Overall respiratory illness activity in Virginia is: LOW and TRENDING UP," the state's dashboard says.
Zoom out: Walgreens launched an expanded tracker to keep an eye on where illnesses are spreading across the country.
Reality check: Experts aren't considering this to be a pandemic-level threat. However, it could still present significant threats to older people or those with underlying health conditions.
- Getting vaxxed is still recommended, as some early data suggests there's been some vaccine effectiveness against the H3N2 strain.
Flashback: The U.S. experienced the worst flu season since 2009 last year, leaving hundreds of thousands of Americans hospitalized.