Warning to oldsters over ‘lethal’ flu pressure set to tear by means of Britain… and find out how to preserve your kids protected

A dangerous new flu strain is causing ‘previously very fit and well children’ to become getting ‘very, very poorly’, doctors have warned.

Leading children’s doctors have urged parents to get their children the nasal spray that protects against flu amid concerns over a particularly bad season.

Even previously healthy children can become seriously ill with flu, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said.

A troublesome mutant strain of the flu is believed to be behind a concerning early spike in flu cases, which experts say may be more severe than usual.

This is because genetic mutations to the H3N2 strain have made it ‘hotter’ and ‘nastier’, leaving people more vulnerable to infections.

Officials said that the strain, also now known as subclade K, currently dominates cases in England.

Health leaders have warned that the flu season has started ‘usually early’ this year, as data points to hospital activity already reaching levels that are not usually seen until December.

This includes rising rates of hospital admissions among younger children.

Dr Helen Stewart, RCPCH officer for health improvement, said: ‘This year it’s looking like a particularly bad season – rates of flu are much higher at this point than they were at this point last year.

‘And we know that there’s been some changes to the flu virus circulating, which means that people might be more susceptible to infection.

‘Unfortunately, it’s not just the elderly and people with chronic, long-term health conditions that get flu, it can make previously very fit and well children very, very poorly.

‘Thousands of kids need to go to hospital because they have flu every year.’

She added: ‘Unfortunately, it can kill.

‘Children do die every year from flu, so it is definitely not just a bad cold.

‘The main complications that we see are pneumonia, so a severe chest infection needing breathing support, and that can tip over into sepsis and very extreme cases.

‘I’ve seen some very, very sick children going to intensive care with flu.’

Asked about the pressures on parents, who need to give consent for their child to be given the flu spray in school, she added: ‘Embarrassingly, that happened to me last year. I missed the email. As someone who is extremely pro-vaccination, I missed the email.

‘So it’s really easy to do for busy parents to miss that consent.’

It comes as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that children and adults are receiving ‘strong protection’ from this year’s flu vaccine.

The UKHSA said that data suggest that the 2025/26 vaccine is currently 70-75 per cent effective at preventing hospital attendance in children aged two to 17 and 30-40 per cent effective in adults.

But given the mutant variant did not appear until June, the vaccine is not expected to offer full protection against the strain.

Experts have cautioned, however, that the vaccine is still vital because it can lessen severe symptoms. 

Professor Adam Finn, a professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol, said: ‘One reason why the early start of this year’s flu epidemic is a worry is that there has not been enough time yet for a lot of people to get vaccinated. 

‘The children’s programme kicked off in September and the adult programme in October. 

‘Usually, November is a month when a lot of people get the vaccine before the infections start to spread in December and January.

‘Even though this new strain of H3N2 has arrived and it is different from the H3N2 strain in this year’s vaccines, they should provide some degree of protection against this strain and certainly against the other flu strains that may be coming through as the winter goes on.

‘The bottom line is that it’s looking possible that we may be facing a very bad flu season this year and the best thing we can all do right now to tackle the problem is to get vaccinated.’

Dr Andrew Whittamore, clinical lead at Asthma and Lung UK, said: ‘It’s vital that families take steps to protect their children from flu, particularly if they have lung conditions like asthma.

‘We strongly advise parents to ensure their children get their flu jabs as soon as possible, as well as any other recommended winter vaccines.’

Speaking about the new data on flu vaccine efficacy, Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant epidemiologist for immunisation at UKHSA, said: ‘These results provide reassuring evidence that this season’s flu vaccines currently offer important protection to children and adults, despite concerns about the new subclade.

‘The high vaccine effectiveness in children strengthens the case for ensuring all eligible young people get vaccinated.

‘When more children are protected, it helps stop the spread of flu to others around them.’

Leading virologists fear a bad flu outbreak could leave people vulnerable to other seasonal illnesses at the same time, such as norovirus and cold-like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Officials have urged those with coughs, sore throats or a runny nose to limit contact with vulnerable groups — such as the elderly, pregnant women and those with underlying conditions — over fears they could become seriously unwell with one or more winter viruses.

This ‘quad-demic’ of four winter illnesses — flu, Covid, norovirus and RSV — could also pile pressure on an already stretched health service, they said.

Dr Simon Clarke, an infectious disease expert at the University of Reading, told the Daily Mail: ‘There is very good evidence that flu and Covid can simultaneously infect someone.

‘Because the symptoms can be similar, it can be very difficult to distinguish between the different viruses without proper testing.’

But, he also added that evidence also suggests a flu infection may provide people with ‘decent protection against RSV for a few months’.

People, however, could still be infected with both RSV and flu at the same time and experiencing both viruses together could lead to more severe symptoms.

Last week, health chiefs sounded the alarm over a surge in flu cases, that appear to be spreading more quickly than usual. 

Experts believe this may be because the flu strain H3N2 mutated seven times over the summer, making it more severe, particularly for older people. 

Latest UKHS data shows that of the influenza viruses subtyped, the majority were H3N2.

The rate of hospital admissions for flu in England stood at 3.8 per 100,000 people last week, up from 2.4 the previous week. 

It is a level of admissions usually not reached until the start of December, the UKHSA said. 

Flu rates also remain over three times higher than normal for this time of year, with the highest rates seen in children and young people. 

Prof Nicola Lewis, the director of the World Influenza Centre at the Francis Crick Institute in London, told BBC News: ‘H3 is always a hotter virus, it’s a nastier virus, it’s more impactful on the population. 

‘We haven’t seen a virus like this for a while, these dynamics are unusual. It does concern me, absolutely.’ 

Anecdotal reports suggest H3N2 can cause more severe body aches, longer-lasting tiredness and symptoms come on more suddenly. 

Last year saw one of the UK’s worst flu seasons for a decade, with the outbreak having greater impact due to lower population immunity.

Since September, health officials have urged the millions eligible to come forward for their Covid and flu jabs, to reduce their risk of becoming severely unwell and needing hospital care.

They also advised people to turn to pharmacies and local urgent treatment centres where appropriate.

Among those invited for top-up doses are the over-65s, care home residents, frontline health and social care workers and pregnant women. 

As per protocol, the decision on the design of the vaccine in the UK was made back in February to ensure there was enough time to produce the millions of flu jab doses necessary. 

Latest UKHSA data shows Covid levels are still low and at expected levels.

Among all tested samples from GP surgeries, just 3.5 per cent were positive for Covid, while hospital admissions stood around 2.22 per 100,000 patients. 

Covid infection rates, however, are nowhere near levels seen earlier in the pandemic.

Infections climbed as high as 4.3million in 2022 during the spread of the original Omicron — but this was topped a few months later, when the number reached a record 4.9million.

The threat of Covid for many people has been drastically reduced by the wall of immunity built up by vaccines and infections.

Norovirus, meanwhile, can show similar symptoms to Covid, with both viruses causing chills, fever and headaches. But it also causes explosive vomiting and diarrhoea.

The stomach bug usually goes away on its own within two to three days. But sufferers, who may also experience aching arms and legs, are advised to stay at home until 48 hours after their symptoms have stopped.

In severe cases, however, some people may need to be hospitalised with the elderly and children most at risk.

It is spread through close contact with someone who is infected; touching surfaces or objects that have the virus on them, and then touching the mouth; as well as eating food that’s been handled by someone with norovirus.