New flu strain sparks alarms abroad as experts watch for global spread: Report

ISTANBUL

Health officials are keeping a close eye on a flu strain that has sparked unusually early and severe outbreaks in Canada, the UK, and Japan, an NBC report said Wednesday, raising concerns about its potential impact in the US.

The strain, a mutated version of H3N2 first detected this summer, has rapidly spread and been linked to rising hospitalizations. “Since it emerged, it’s rapidly spreading and predominating in some countries so far in the Northern Hemisphere,” Dr. Wenqing Zhang, head of the World Health Organization’s Global Respiratory Threats Unit, told a briefing.

Experts warn the strain carries multiple mutations that make it different from the H3N2 component of this year’s seasonal flu vaccine. “The virus is quite different from the H3N2 strain included in this year’s vaccine,” said Antonia Ho, infectious disease consultant at Scotland’s University of Glasgow.

The UK is reporting flu cases three times higher than at this point last year, according to James Mackey, head of the National Health Service.

Canada is also experiencing an early surge, said virologist Angela Rasmussen of the University of Saskatchewan.

In Japan, flu cases in Tokyo are nearly six times higher than at the same time last year, forcing partial closures at more than 2,300 schools and day care centers, Nippon TV reported.

It remains unclear how extensively the strain has spread elsewhere, including the US. While flu A cases have been reported, comprehensive national data are lacking due to staffing shortages at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Even if this year’s vaccine is not a perfect match for the mutated H3N2, experts urge vaccination. The annual flu shot is designed to reduce severity and prevent hospitalization.

Preliminary evidence from the UK indicates the current vaccine may still be up to 40% effective in keeping adults out of hospital.