Flu season might be tough this year, in NH and elsewhere, but good hygiene still helps

Flu season is upon us and, this year, doctors say it could be a little more intense.

Last year, at the tail end of the flu season, Influenza A strain H3n2 started spreading, and it led to high rates of hospitalization. This year, that still seems to be the dominant strain going around, and this year’s flu vaccine doesn’t target it specifically.

“There seems to be a mismatch with the current influenza vaccine that we issued in the United States and other countries,” said Dr. Gabriela Andujar Vazquez, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center’s hospital epidemiologist. “So that sometimes means the vaccine is protective, but not as protective as we have hoped.”

She said health professionals are concerned as they watch cases rise, and it might prompt more cases than prior seasons.

Andujar sai