H3N2
After last year’s H1N1 flu pandemic, local health officials are keeping a close eye on how this season’s virus is starting to spread. October marks the start of the flu season in Indiana, though Hoosiers aren’t typically hit hard until January or February.
Allen County Health Commissioner Dr. Deb McMahan says doctors are tracking three strains of the flu virus this year: H1N1, H3N2, and an influenza group B virus.
The good news is that this year’s vaccine protects against all three strains and it’s already widely available. The vaccine is recommended for everyone six months and older, including people who are not usually considered high-risk.
"So many people actually have influenza and don’t know they have it. So they’re going to work, whether they work as a health care provider or they work in a daycare or school or wherever and they’re transmitting it to other people, and they don’t even know they have it," said Dr. Deb McMahan. "So the best way to avoid it is just to prevent it in the first place."