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The 2019-2020 flu season in the U.S. was unusual in a number of ways. Cases picked up in August rather than the more typical fall and early winter months, and it hit children particularly hard. It was also dominated early on by a Type B influenza virus instead of one of the much more common Type A viruses like H1N1 or H3N2.
A new study by researchers at the University of Georgia suggests that these dynamics were driven largely by a new, more transmissible strain encountering a population with very little existing immunity to it.
Their findings, just published in the
Unusual flu season linked to more transmissible strain
February 4, 2021
UGA research on the 2019-2020 season has implications for vaccination strategies
The 2019-2020 flu season in the U.S. was unusual in a number of ways. Cases picked up in August rather than the more typical fall and early winter months, and it hit children particularly hard. It was also dominated early on by a Type B influenza virus instead of one of the much more common Type A viruses like H1N1 or H3N2.
A new study by researchers at the University of Georgia suggests that these dynamics were driven largely by a new, more transmissible strain encountering a population with very little existing immunity to it.