'Double-Barreled’ Flu Season Could Hit NYC, Experts Say

NEW YORK CITY — A flu outbreak that has affected thousands of people in New York City showed signs of waning in the past week — even as health experts warned the city could be facing a "double barreled" season in which you could get sick more than once.

The B/Victoria strain of the virus has dominated the season so far, but cases of the A/H1N1 strain are becoming a lot more prevalent in the city. This means that as the two strains are striking back-to-back, a person’s risk of catching both increases, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told Healthline.

This pattern is unusual, Schaffner said. Someone who catches an A strain virus is somewhat protected from catching another A strain. However, a B strain outbreak followed by an A strain outbreak doesn’t offer much for cross protection, so it’s possible a person could get re-infected.

In New York City, there were 8,314 cases of the flu recorded in the week ending Jan. 25. Of them, 4,011 were type A and 4,023 were type B. The remainder were of an unspecified strain.

The previous week, there were 7,716 cases recorded.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the death toll from influenza-related illnesses across the country climbed to nearly 10,000 people.