NHS bosses have reported a record number of patients in hospitals after an ‘unprecedented flu wave’ this winter – but the UK is not alone in this.

Every year, respiratory viruses, especially influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV, put enormous pressure on healthcare systems throughout Europe.

And this year, some countries reported cases as early as October. In Spain, for example, the threshold for an epidemic was reached several weeks earlier than expected.

The majority of cases detected in the UK are of the A/H3N2 strain – the K variant – which is known to constantly mutate in a process known as ‘shift and drift’.

What is A/H3N2 variant K?

Influenza is split into two types, A and B, the former of which now accounts for all seasonal varieties of flu, including the 2009 pandemic H1N1.

H3N2 has

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