Commonground
Senior Moderator
Pharmacist's warning over dangerous Subclade K flu in UK this winter
September 26, 2026A pharmacist is urging people to check whether they can get a free flu jab as medics brace for an influx of K-strain super-flu this winter. Concerns over a particularly nasty winter flu season in the UK come as doctors in New Zealand battle a major outbreak of the disease.
Subclade K is a genetic offshoot of Influenza A(H3N2). It spreads rapidly because it features subtle genetic mutations that allow it to transmit efficiently through populations. Because of these drift mutations, older flu vaccine formulations show reduced protection against infection from subclade K.
H3N2 strains tend to hit older adults and vulnerable groups harder than H1N1 or Influenza B strains. The severity seen with subclade K is a feature of H3N2
Pharmacist's warning over dangerous Subclade K flu in UK this winter
The virus has caused extreme pressure in New Zealand during their flu season and could now do the same here
www.examinerlive.co.uk