Bad flu season could help bird flu mutate, doctors fear

(FOX 9) - The flu has hit Minnesota especially hard this season, sending more than 5,600 people to the hospital and threatening to help bird flu mutate and become a more serious public health risk.

Flu cases could help bird flu mutate, jump from person to person

The backstory:

Flu-related hospitalizations are higher than they have been in a decade, at just over 5,600. The severe flu season amplifies the risk that it could mix with bird flu, causing that virus to mutate and become a major public health threat, doctors said. 

Despite the increase in hospitalizations, the virus is killing fewer people than it did last year, according to data compiled by the Minnesota Department of Health.

What they're saying:

"We’re all holding our breath, hoping that doesn’t happen," said Dr. Stacene Maroushek, an infectious disease physician at Hennepin Healthcare. "If you start throwing it in and mixing it up with other strains of flu like what we have now, it very easily could reassort into a strain that could be spread person to person and be a lot more deadly than anything we’ve seen in a long time."

Why the flu so bad this season:

Maroushek suspects that there is COVID fatigue, leading to people avoiding masks and handwashing.

Flu less deadly this season:

Maroushek said it is difficult to know why. She said it could be that the prevalent strain is less virulent, or that people are seeking treatment earlier, preventing more serious illness.

What's next:

The flu season typically peaks in February but lasts from October until May.