State officials have confirmed that a child under 5 years old has died from the flu, marking the first pediatric flu death in the state this season. The child, who lived in North Jersey, had no other known medical conditions.f

A new flu variant, subclade K, is driving an uptick in cases across the U.S. and prolonging influenza seasons in other parts of the world.

Schools in New Jersey are seeing more students out sick with flu, and the Trump administration move to make the flu vaccine optional causes alarm.

Reported flu cases in New Jersey at the end of December were more than double what they were at the same time last season.

Influenza is sickening thousands of people in New Jersey and shows no signs of slowing down, according to state data released Friday. New Jersey reported 12,211 total influenza, or flu, cases for the week ending Dec. 27 — more than double what it reported the same time last season.

Whether you have COVID or the common cold, doctors say it's important to know what you have so you get the right kind of treatment.

Although the current flu vaccine offers protection against the H3N2 strain, it doesn’t cover subclade K, which hadn’t been identified when the vaccine was developed. The variant has mutated seven times, making H3N2 an even more serious threat, according to experts.

Those infected with the flu are most contagious during the first three days, the CDC said. In some cases, however, people can spread the flu even before experiencing symptoms or up to five to seven days after they appear. Young people and those with weaker immune systems can experience symptoms for a longer period.