The United States may be heading into its second severe flu season in a row, driven by a mutated strain called subclade K that's behind early surges in the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan.

Last winter's season was extreme, too. The U.S. had its highest rates of flu hospitalizations in nearly 15 years. At least 280 children died of influenza , the highest number since pediatric death numbers were required to be shared in 2004.

Now, with a new variant in the mix, experts say we're on track for a repeat. And with flu vaccinations down and holiday travel on the way, they worry that things may look much worse in the weeks ahead.

The good news: Early analysis shows that this season's flu shots offer some protection against being hospitalized with this variant, especially for kids. The ba

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