Flu season is well and truly upon us, and health experts have issued a stark warning that this winter could be one of the worst yet as thousands have already been hospitalised.
NHS bosses have said the UK, particularly England, is currently experiencing the most severe flu outbreak in decades as people are urged to take up vaccinations.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has even gone as far as asking people who are unwell to wear masks while out in public in a Covid-like attempt to prevent the spread of the flu, as well as other illnesses, over the winter period.
With a 'tidal wave of illness' expected to sweep across the country before Christmas, health experts have warned about a new strain of the flu driving the surge.
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What is the H3N2 strain?
The new strain, which has been called 'unpleasant' by NHS bosses, has officially been named H3N2, which is widely recognised as one of two widely circulating strains of influenza.
Also known as subclade K, H3N2 is currently the most dominant strain in England and is named after the virus' surface proteins, haemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N).
This particular combination can cause a more severe level of illness than other strains of the flu, with older people and those with underlying health conditions most at risk.
What are the symptoms of H3N2?
Unlike the common cold, which is also spreading rapidly at the moment, flu develops very suddenly and quickly, causing a range of symptoms, from extreme tiredness to fever.
According to the UKHSA, many of the symptoms of H3N2 are much like those of most seasonal flus, such as a cough, runny nose, body aches and possibly vomiting and diarrhoea, in addition to the fatigue and fever.
This particular strain does seem to be hitting England hard at the moment as 1,717 flu patients were admitted to hospital in this country every single day last week, up 56 percent from the same week last year, NHS England has confirmed.
The rate is seven times as high as it was just two years ago, when there was an average of 243 patients being admitted daily.
One of the reasons for this could be that flu season started earlier than usual this year, giving the virus longer to spread and mutate, having evolved from the strain that struck people down last year.
One of the best ways to protect yourself against any form of flu, including H3N2, is to get the flu vaccine, particularly if you fit into any of the most vulnerable categories.
Emma Rosemurgey