“Get vaccinated as soon as possible.” Brits facing worst flu season in a decade?

There are some indicators suggesting that this may be the worst flu season in the last 10 years, says pandemic specialist Prof. Christopher Fraser in a statement for BBC News. It will probably appear earlier than usual. An increase in cases has already been reported in Great Britain and Japan.

The cause for concern is the group's new strain of the virus, which has mutated more than usual. In addition, it happened in the middle of last summer, and not earlier, as usually happens. For this reason, currently available vaccines may not be as well matched to circulating strains of influenza viruses as in previous years.

However, British experts encourage vaccination as soon as possible. Even an incomplete vaccine provides greater protection against influenza infection than not getting vaccinated at all. Thanks to this, it is a greater guarantee of avoiding the severe course of this dangerous disease.

As reported by prof. Derek Smith from the University of Cambridge, the greatest changes were observed in the seasonal influenza virus strain marked with the symbol H3N2. – It is almost certain that it will spread around the world faster than usual – he says.

This pathogen is still being researched, but it is suspected that thanks to genetic changes it may have a greater ability to escape our immunity. This, in turn, would increase its ability to infect and spread compared to previous flu seasons. It is suspected that this is why seasonal flu cases have increased earlier than usual in the UK and Japan.

“INIt is very likely that this will be a severe flu season“

In England, the peak of disease usually occurred between December and February. This flu season, the number of infections increased already at the end of October. – I suspect that this season may be more intense – announces prof. Nicola Lewis, director of the World Influenza Center at the Francis Crick Institute.

Prof. thinks similarly. Christopher Fraser from the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Cambridge. – It is highly likely that this will be a severe flu season and it will appear earlier than usual – he emphasizes. Perhaps the worst in a decade.

However, the flu virus is unpredictable and you can never be sure how the flu season will play out. In Australia, it was the most severe this year, but it was not caused by the H3N2 mutation.

Prof. Lewis recommends first and foremost getting vaccinated against seasonal flu, and as soon as possible. She believes this may be especially important during the 2025/26 flu season, even though the latest vaccine is not fully matched to the H3N2 mutation.

– Even partial protection is better than none – says prof. Lewis. He emphasizes that this especially applies to people most at risk of post-flu complications, i.e. seniors, people with reduced immunity and chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease.

Zbigniew Wojtasiński (PAP)

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