As the 2025-26 flu season begins in Louisville, experts at Norton Healthcare are cautioning against a new variant spreading throughout the United Kingdom and Japan.

Doctors believe the new variant, known as Subclade K, could lead to an increase in cases in the United States. The new variant has been affecting other parts of the world, which can offer a preview of what could occur in the U.S. for medical professionals.

“Typically, just based on travel patterns, seasonality and the season, whatever’s happening there, about four to eight weeks later, will usually happen here,” said Dr. Thomas Cunningham, an emergency medicine doctor with Norton Healthcare. “About four weeks ago, we started noticing this new strain in Japan and in the U.K., and now we’ve seen a couple in Canada. We have

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