1218: How A Mutation Made This Year’s Flu Season So Bad

from Science Friday · host Science Friday

A rogue strain of flu, subclade K, has sickened more than 19 million people in the US so far this season. And the flu shot hasn’t offered that much protection. What’s going on with this superflustorm?Joining Host Flora Lichtman with some answers is Jennifer Duchon, a pediatric infectious disease specialist.Guest: Dr. Jennifer Duchon is a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jan 26, 2026

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A flu variant called subclade K emerged too late to be fully covered by this year's vaccine. But the flu shot can still help protect you.

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1218: How A Mutation Made This Year’s Flu Season So Bad

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