There had been 1,614 cases of the flu as of Tuesday, according to the Springfield-Greene County Health Department influenza dashboard. More than a quarter of those were in kids age 5 to 14.
One reason for a spike just after the holidays is believed to be due to a strain of the flu that’s being called “super flu.” It’s variant Influenza A, which is one of the common variants we see going around each year. The Influenza A strain is called subclade K and is being noted as a fast-spreading strain with a potential severity component.
This subclade K strain is dominant this winter due to its ability to spread quickly, potentially adding to the spike in flu cases in the U.S. and in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services noted that seasonal influenza activity was “very high,” with over 9,000 cases of both Influenza A and B recorded in the last week of December, likely fueled by holiday gatherings. There were 7,582 cases during the week of December 28 through January 3…