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Happy Holidays to you all, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

The holidays are great for reuniting with friends and family after the lengthy fall season (whether it be long work hours, college, or whatever else life finds for us). What the holidays are not good for, is the cold front it brings in… and the sickness that follows.

If I had a nickel for every time I got super sick on Christmas and New Years with a virus of some sort, I would have at least two nickels. Not that two is a lot, just very interesting it has happened twice… (I hope my reference went over well… Nickel Meme Reference)

Anyways, enjoy the squirrel photo above because where I am headed is NOT FUN.

Fun Facts about the Flu!

• Full name: Influenza¹
• Flu is not the same as the Common Cold, in fact, it is much worse and leads to worse symptoms like high fever, chills, and complications that can lead to hospitalization¹
• The current dominating strain, dubbed “super flu”, is actually called: A/H3N2²
• Flu typically fluctuates every year, so having a rise in cases isn’t new, what makes this one ‘super’ is that the strain isn’t covered by the most recent flu vaccine, leading to a very harsh flu season with a lot of cases.²

I personally did not think those facts were fun… they were super not fun. Anyways, I just wanted to share a little bit I learned about this ‘Super Flu’ variant as it has been dubbed. Make sure to stay warm, avoid people who cough, and remember if you do get sick you need to drink lots of fluids!

Have a Happy New Year and avoid the ‘Not-so-Super Flu’ as I would like to call it.

~ Andrew McGarvie

References

1. Myths and Facts About Influenza (Flu). (September 1, 2025). NFID. https://www.nfid.org/resource/myths-and-facts-about-influenza-flu/
2. Miller, K. (2025, December 23). Is There a “Super Flu” Right Now? Here’s What Doctors Want You to Know. Prevention. https://www.prevention.com/health/a69839319/super-flu-spreading-us/