Children and teenagers are driving the surge in ‘mutant flu’ cases, new figures have revealed.
According to data released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), children aged between five and 14-years-old are the most susceptible to the current strain of the virus.
The figures, released yesterday, showed that children and younger teens are most likely to test positive for H3N2, also known as subclade K.
They had the highest positivity rates at 45.9 per cent, and increase from 43.6 per cent last week
This latest data paints a worrying forecast ahead of the festive period, which could see a rapid spread of the mutant virus with ‘still no flu peak in sight’.
The NHS says it’s come face-to-face with its ‘worst case scenario’, after the number of patients hospitalised with flu jumped by 55 per cent in one week.
Some schools are already taking precautions and have reinstated Covid-like restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus, such as introducing hand sanitation sites and minimising close contact where possible.
Every year, thousands of otherwise healthy children end up in hospital with complications after catching influenza—as do the elderly.
With Christmas less than a fortnight away, there are concerns that the super spreader age group will infect elderly relatives between now and the New Year.
Older people tend to be more vulnerable to flu, partly because their immune systems are weaker, and also because they often have existing conditions which can make it easier for illnesses to take hold.
Fears of intergenerational mixing prompted health chiefs to issue an urgent plea to parents to get their children a flu vaccination in a bid to protect their grandparents at Christmas.
Children aged two to 16-years-old, as well as children aged 17 who have certain long-term health conditions, are eligible for free flu vaccination on the NHS, usually in the form of a nasal spray.
People who are aged over 65, those with long term health conditions, pregnant women, care home residents and carers are also eligible for a free jab.
Those in other groups can get the same vaccine for between £15 and £25 from high street pharmacists.
Dr Conall Watson, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA warned earlier this week: ‘There is still plenty of flu vaccine available to protect those who need it—what’s running out is time to be protected ahead of Christmas.
‘If you are eligible this is the last chance to get protected as we head into Christmas so make an appointment with the NHS today.
‘If your child has missed out on their vaccination with the school immunisation team, you should still be able to get vaccinated through a community clinic over the next few weeks.’
The major difference between this years unprecedented flu season and previous years is that the mutant strain—called H3N2—started spreading as early as October this year.
Flu and colds are both on the rise, but the H3N2 flu strain is believed to be behind the spike in cases, because there is less ‘natural immunity in the community’ against it, according to the UKHSA.
Dubbed subclade K or the ‘super flu’, the virus mutated seven times over the summer, enabling it evade previous immunity, putting older adults severely at risk of hospitalisation and even death and putting untold strain on the NHS this winter.
The number of patients in hospital each with the influenza and other types of respiratory illness has been rising sharply across England, with an average of 2,660 flu patients in hospital last week—up from just 1,717 the week before.
And whilst children aged five to 14-years-old are most likely to catch and spread the virus, those over 85-years-old are five times more likely to be hospitalised than the general population.
The worry is that if the number of patients needing overnight treatment continues to rise, surpassing 5,000 patients, as Sir Jim Mackey—the Chief Executive of NHS England has predicted—then it could place ‘further strain on an already buckling system.’
Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS National Medical Director, said: ‘The numbers of patients in hospital with flu is extremely high for this time of year.
‘Even worse, it continues to rise and the peak is not in sight yet, so the NHS faces an extremely challenging few weeks ahead.
‘NHS staff have pulled out all the stops to vaccinate more people than last year, and with just a week left to ensure maximum immunity from flu for Christmas Day, I would urge anyone eligible for the vaccine to please book an appointment or visit a walk-in site as soon as possible.
‘Vaccination is the best protection against getting potentially very ill and it also helps protect those around you.’
There are signs that the call to action is being heard, with more than 17.4million vaccines now administered in England—over 170,000 more than this time last year.
As of the beginning of December, around 70 per cent of older generations and care home residents had been vaccinated.
But vaccination rates in younger but still at risk groups were significantly lower at just 40 per cent.
Typical symptoms of the new strain are similar to seasonal flu and can include fever, cough, runny nose, body aches and sometimes vomiting or diarrhoea.
Flu symptoms develop one to three days after becoming infected and while most cases of flu are over within a week, people can still feel exhausted and suffer from a lingering cough for weeks afterwards.
Alongside getting vaccinated, health officials say regular hand washing, socialising in well ventilated spaces and sometimes wearing a mask are key to stopping the virus from spreading.
‘If you have symptoms of flu or Covid–like a high temperature, cough and feeling tired or achy, you should try to minimise contact with others, especially those more vulnerable,’ Dr Watson said.
This is because the most common way of catching the virus is person-to-person contact, most often in the form of germs spread via coughs and sneezes, which can live on the hands for 24 hours.
People with the flu can also spread it to others as far as six feet away, via droplets which enter the air when they cough, sneeze or talk.
These droplets land in the mouths or noses of others nearby or are inhaled directly into the lungs.
