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01/20/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/21/2026 11:05

“Super Flu” Is Here: Protect Yourself with a Flu Shot at BU This Week

"Super Flu" Is Here: Protect Yourself with a Flu Shot at BU This Week

Immunization clinics for students are January 22 and 23

An influenza A variant known as subclade K is dominating the 2025-26 flu season, leading to more severe infections here in Massachusetts and across the globe.

COVID and Flu

"Super Flu" Is Here: Protect Yourself with a Flu Shot at BU This Week

Immunization clinics for students are January 22 and 23

January 20, 2026
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The 2025-2026 flu season is still upon us, and it's dominated by what many are calling the "super flu."

The super flu is actually a variant-known as subclade K-of the seasonal flu virus we're all familiar with. Subclade K is a surprise, highly mutated variant that emerged in the fall of 2025, after flu shots were already in development in the United States. Individuals infected with subclade K have the potential for more severe illness compared to other influenza strains, experts say.

Here in Massachusetts, the state's Department of Public Health recently rated flu activity as "very high," with medical visits and hospitalizations for flu symptoms climbing steadily. Per the department, the state has so far recorded 112 deaths from the flu this season, including 5 pediatric deaths.

Fortunately, it's not too late to get a flu shot-and it can still give you a solid dose of protection against the so-called super flu.

To help keep the community safe, Boston University is offering two immunization clinics, including flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, for students this week. The clinics are on Thursday, January 22, and Friday, January 23, from 9 am to 3 pm in the FitRec 3-Court Gym. You can book an appointment through Patient Connect. Limited walk-in appointments are available.

Vaccinations are free for students with the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). Students without SHIP will be charged for vaccinations and receive a receipt through Patient Connect that they can submit to their insurance company for reimbursement. To access the clinics, enter FitRec from the back entrance on Buick Street. You'll need to present your BU ID and your health insurance information.

Faculty and staff members interested in getting a flu shot can call the Occupational Health Center at 617-353-6630 to request a vaccination appointment.

Why Get a Flu Shot if You Haven't Already?

Getting a flu shot protects you against the worst of subclade K and other strains-getting you back to work, class, and the things you enjoy faster, says Nahid Bhadelia, founding director of the BU Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases and of Biothreats Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network (BEACON), an open-source outbreak tracker.

"The purpose of the vaccine is not to prevent infection, it's to prevent severe disease," says Bhadelia, a BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine associate professor of medicine. Even though this season's flu shots weren't specifically designed to target subclade K, she adds, "from the data we have, they still offer pretty good coverage."

Plus, Bhadelia points out, nobody lives in a vacuum. (And especially not if you, ahem, live on a college campus in a large metropolitan area.) Getting a flu shot helps increase our herd immunity and means more protection for the people around you, who might be more vulnerable than you are. Staying on top of your vaccinations also keeps already strained medical systems from being overwhelmed with more sick patients.

"If you've been to the emergency room, you know how long the waits are," Bhadelia says. "ICUs are already full-if you add five or ten more cases of severe flu a week, that's a lot [on the system]. So, we want to keep severe disease numbers down, which is why I think it's still worth getting the vaccination."

And despite increased vaccine hesitancy and falling vaccination rates across the country, Bhadelia stresses that the vaccines are safe.

"Influenza vaccines have been used for decades," she says. "They've gone through safety trials and they've undergone post-marketing surveillance for adverse effects for a very long period of time." Any medical intervention, she adds, runs the risk of rare adverse side effects, from pain relievers to birth control. "But what you have to do is look at the body of evidence showing that these vaccines are incredibly safe, and have been shown to be over decades."

Beyond getting vaccinated, Bhadelia recommends protecting yourself by washing your hands regularly and wearing a mask in crowded environments like the bus or train. And if you feel any flu-like symptoms-which can include a fever, aches and chills, a cough, congestion, and fatigue-stay home.

Find more information about BU's immunization clinics on the Student Health Services event calendar.

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Boston University published this content on January 20, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on January 21, 2026 at 17:05 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]