Vineyard sees uptick in flu cases

It can start with a sneeze. 

Influenza, more commonly called the flu, is in full swing this winter, and Islanders have felt the impact of the infectious virus. 

This flu season has also been exacerbated nationwide by the circulation of a new flu variant known as subclade K, a version of flu A, one of the main strains that infect people annually. 

While it’s uncertain precisely how many people on the Island have caught the new flu variant, Dr. Karen Casper, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital emergency medical department director, noted there are a rising number of influenza cases this winter. 

“From an emergency department perspective, we have seen an uptick in influenza cases, which is consistent with statewide seasonal trends we typically see each year,” Casper said. 

Martha’s Vineyard, alongside the rest of the Cape and Islands, has been designated by the state Department of Public Health (DPH) as having “very high” levels of “influenza-like illness” since the week of Dec. 7. According to the most recently available data from Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, of the 262 individuals who were tested for the flu in the first two weeks of January, 37.4 percent tested positive — 73 with strain A and 25 with strain B. 

While these are not the only flu strains, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identify A and B as the strains that “cause seasonal epidemics of disease in people (known as flu season) almost every winter” across the country. 

Hundreds of Islanders have been tested for the flu at the hospital since the fall, but cases shot up in December. In December, 29.7 percent of 438 tested individuals were diagnosed with the flu, 124 with strain A and six with strain B. Meanwhile, only a small handful of individuals tested positive for the flu — specifically strain A — in the fall. Four of 386 individuals, or 1 percent, tested positive September through October, and four of 279 individuals, or 1.4 percent, tested positive in November. 

The hospital’s data do not show how many of the strain A cases were subclade K, although they do show a higher rate of people who’ve caught strain A compared to B so far. According to the CDC, only two of the over 130 variations of influenza A subtypes, H1N1 and H3N2, “routinely circulate” among humans. Subclade K is a variant of H3N2 and has been dubbed by many as a so-called “super flu” for having more severe symptoms and cases than the typical flu.

Dr. Larry Madoff, medical director at the Massachusetts DPH, said 80 to 90 percent of flu cases across the country and the state are subclade K, and the newness of the variant made more people susceptible to the flu this year. He also noted that this flu season had an early start with a sharp rise in cases in mid-December.

“It could mean we hit the peak already, or it could be a lull,” he said. “We can’t really predict what happens next.”

Still, Madoff urged anyone six months or older to get vaccinated. People are protected from the flu through a combination of natural immunity and vaccination, but Madoff said this season’s batch of vaccines was made based on last year’s flu strain and what health officials expected to see based on the previous season.

“So far, indicators are [that] the vaccine is effective against this strain. But it is possible it will be less effective,” Madoff said. He also said it’ll take weeks to see when natural immunity kicks in, since people’s immune systems currently have “more difficulty recognizing the strain.” 

Madoff said a higher vaccination rate would help to “control the influenza we’re seeing.” But only 35 percent of eligible Massachusetts residents have received the flu vaccine so far.

“That’s also disturbing,” Madoff said. 

Although most people who catch the flu can fight it through rest and medicine, it can still be a fatal virus. The Massachusetts DPH’s weekly influenza update shows 112 people have died in the state this flu season as of Jan. 4, including five children. Madoff said that while the death rate is comparable to other years — an exception being the 2024–2025 flu season, which had a particularly high death rate of 470 — he underscored subclade K’s ability to spread rapidly. 

“Flu is and can be a severe illness,” Madoff said. “People get hospitalized and die from influenza every year.”

Gregory Mathis, communications program manager at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, said “no one at the hospital I reached out to knew of any deaths related to the flu that have come through the hospital’s doors.” 

Madoff underscored that preventative measures against the flu are especially important to protect those in higher-risk groups, such as immunocompromised individuals, those with chronic diseases, senior residents, and children. 

Areas where people mingle can help facilitate the spread of the flu. While the Vineyard’s schools don’t have data on flu cases among students, school officials have been keeping an eye out. 

Following a meeting among Vineyard school nurses on Jan. 14, Mike Savoy, the nurse at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, said a rise in student absenteeism and students showing symptoms of illness has been noted by Island school nurses. 

“We are definitely seeing an uptick of kids being sent home,” Savoy said. 

He noted that many people who get sick are managing their sickness at home, so data sets are likely showing a smaller number than the true flu infection rates. “Only those ill enough to go to the hospital are being tested,” Savoy said. 

Outside of vaccinations and staying home when feeling sick, Casper said there are other ways for people to be vigilant of the flu this season. 

“This is the time of year when reinforcing basic infection-prevention measures is especially important,” Casper said. “Wear a mask if you’re symptomatic. Masks are available at the hospital at all entry points. Washing your hands and staying home when ill remain key strategies to help limit the spread of respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses in the community.”