Flu season is underway, and while cases are still low in Missouri, medical professionals are watching a variant called "subclade K" that has been dominant overseas.

This is a variant of influenza A or H3N2, which tends to be more infectious and causes more severe disease in seniors and young children.

Subclade K is also mismatched to this year's annual flu vaccine, which was developed before this variant emerged.

But early research from the United Kingdom , where subclade K is already prominent, shows that the vaccine is still effective at preventing hospitalizations.

KBIA’s Rebecca Smith recently sat down with Dr. George Turabelidze an epidemiologist with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, about what this could mean for Missourians.

This interview has been edited

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