January 10, 2026 • 9 mins
Does it seem like everyone you know is getting sick these days? What's not helping is the fact that those of us living here in the New England states are contending with the worst flu season we've seen in years, and health experts say it's going to be weeks before it starts to get any better. Dr. Larry Madoff, the Medical Director of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, discusses this current wave of cases, the best ways to treat the virus, and what's helping this year's flu strain deliver that extra painful punch.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each and every week. Right here, we come together, we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. Happy New Year to you. It's
great to be back. I'm Nicole Davis. Won't be at
the flu, nora virus, COVID, just a pesky cold or
a sinus infection. A lot of people are getting sick
(00:28):
right now. Maybe you are, or you just got over something.
It's just not a good time. The flu really seems
to be the biggest player right now, and health officials
seem to agree as they say, right now we're dealing
with the worst flu season in years in Massachusetts. I
wanted to get a health expert in here to talk
with us about this, make sure we're up to speed,
know what we need to know. So joining us now
(00:49):
on the show is doctor Larry Mattoff. He is the
medical Director of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences at the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Doctor Mattoff, I know you're busy.
Thank you so much for the time here on New
England Weekend. Give us a rundown. I guess to start
of what we're seeing right now when it comes to
the flu. Here in Massachusetts, we're seeing a very high
(01:09):
level of influenza activity right now.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
It's really a severe flu season, and it's an early
flu season. We're seeing a rapid uptick in blue cases
across the board.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Now, what do you think is driving this? We hear
a lot about this subclade K. What makes it so potent?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Well, I'll start by saying that every flu season is
different and you can't necessarily predict what's going to happen,
and the type of strain that's circulating doesn't always tell
you what's what kind of a flu season we're going
to have. But I think there are a number of
factors that are driving the flu season this year, and one,
(01:50):
as you mentioned, is this subclade K. It's a newer
version of the H three N two influenza A virus,
and fewer people have seen it before, Fewer people it's
new to us, and so fewer people have immunity to it.
It's also different from the strain that's in the vaccine,
(02:12):
but vaccine immunity still will play an important role in
preventing the flu and in making the flu less serious,
and so that's important to remember. But this strain is
likely to be spreading more rapidly, and that probably accounts
for the rapid uptick and flu that we're seeing here
(02:35):
across the country and really around the world.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Okay, what are the symptoms that are coming specifically with
this strain that's going around right now?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
So the strain is really not different in terms of
the illness that it causes from other flu strains. So
while it spreads more rapidly, more people are susceptible to it.
That the symptoms that we see fever, sore throat are
similar to what we see from the flu every year,
(03:06):
and so that's not really different. In some people, the
illness can be more severe, and that's also not different
from what we see every year.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I wonder why, then, a lot of people are focusing
on this because you bring up a good point and
that every year we have deaths from the flu.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
We always have.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
It always feels like the flu, at least for a
few weeks, really hits us hard. Why do you think
we're seeing more reporting and talking about it this time around?
Is it because of this specific variant that's kind of
hitting us a little harder? What are your thoughts on that.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Well, we are seeing an early and severe flu season.
I also want to mention that one of the problems
that we're having this year is that not enough people
are getting vaccinated against the flu, and that also leads
to more cases and more spread of the flu. Really,
only about a third of the people in the state
(04:00):
in a flu vaccine so far this year, and that's
also contributing to the rapid climb and blue cases that
we're seeing.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Well, then I wonder if you're seeing a lot of
people doing that because of their maybe your reticence to
get the COVID vaccine, do you feel like one And
you know, both of those are going hand in hand
with people generally backing away from vaccines.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
It's complicated and hard to say what's driving this. I
think there is some just fatigue on vaccines, as you say,
you know, we've gotten so many vaccines in the last
few years, and people don't like needles. People are tired
of getting vaccinated. But you know that your health and
(04:45):
the health of those around you is important, and so
vaccination is really a simple thing that you can do.
You know, it takes a few minutes, it's readily available,
you can get your flu and COVID vaccine at the
same time if you want, And they're really important in
keeping us healthy and importantly keeping those around us healthy.
(05:08):
Because we don't get the flu, we won't give it
to other people.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Yeah, and even basic things like washing your hands, coughing
into your elbow. I mean, I feel like we get
reminded of these every year, but clearly we need those reminders.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
We do. And another important thing to remind people is
that it's a good idea to stay home when you
have a respiratory infection, both take care of yourself and
also to protect those around you so that they don't
catch it from you. If you can stay home for
a couple of days and you know, drink tea and
(05:43):
watch TV and not in fact other people, that's really important.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
I think that right now we're seeing a lot of
people also concerned about what do I take to deal
with these flu symptoms. Do I go and just lean
heavy on the niquill, Do I take TAMA flu. There's
all these different meds. What are your suggestions for that?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
So for many people with the flu, particularly those who
are are young and healthy, you know, just staying home
and taking care of yourself keeping, keeping yourself with a
good fluid intake, and keeping your fever down are are
are good enough and most people recover from the flu
(06:26):
in a few days. For those who are compromised, who
are older, for example, who have underlying medical conditions heart lung, kidney,
liver disease, diabetes, asthma, or who are very young, young children,
(06:47):
particularly under the age of two, it's important to reach
out to your health care provider and find out about
getting treated. There are safe, effective, specific treatments for the flu,
like tamil flu you mentioned and other similar drugs that
can really make a difference both in feeling better faster
(07:09):
and in preventing the severe complications of flu. Keeping you
out of the hospital.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
That's the most important thing. And that's a really good
point because with the flu vaccine, even if it's not
a direct match, it's going to keep you from clogging
up the hospitals because there's a lot of people that
are really putting a strain on our systems this time
of year.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Right. That is important to remember about the flu vaccine
is that it may it can protect you completely so
that you don't get the flu. But even if you
catch the flu, despite having the vaccine. It can turn
it into a milder form of the illness and won't
get as sick or as sick for as long as
if you hadn't had the vaccine, So that is very important.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah, well, these days, you've got covid, you've got flu,
you've got all these different viruses, you've got the common cold, Frankly,
and I really love the fact that now we're starting
to see more flu and covid combo tests out there,
so they're besides having one of those test kits. I mean,
how can we know if we're dealing with the flu
or covid or is it really just one of those
situations where testing is the only way to kind of
(08:13):
narrow it down right.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
The symptoms of flu, covid, rsv ad novirus, metanuma virus A,
a whole host of other respiratory viruses overlap considerably, and
so it's very difficult in an individual patient to know
what they have. And that's why these tests are so helpful.
(08:35):
And as you mentioned, the combo flu covid tests can
help you determine what you have and if it's something
that's treatable with an anti viral agent. Like flu or
covid and that can be life saving.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
What do you think people need to know? How much
longer do you think we're going to be dealing with this?
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So, the flu season typically lasts for another at least
couple of months. It usually doesn't even peak until early
February and so, and it lasts into the spring. So
it's with us, it's going to be with us for
a while. We're not seeing much COVID or RSV right now,
but I think those are likely to start coming up
(09:18):
soon and with a combination with the flu and those
things that we're going to see a lot more respiratory illness.
So get yourself vaccinated. It's not too late. There's plenty
of time left in the season, and getting a vaccine
now will protect you and those around you, and you know,
if you're sick, stay home and take care of yourself.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
All right, great advice, doctor, Thank you so much for
the time.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Nice to talk to you, Nicole.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
I hope you have a safe and healthy weekend. Stay warm.
Join us again next week for another edition of the show.
I'm Nicole Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each and every week. Right here, we come together, we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. Happy New Year to you. It's
great to be back. I'm Nicole Davis. Won't be at
the flu, nora virus, COVID, just a pesky cold or
a sinus infection. A lot of people are getting sick
(00:28):
right now. Maybe you are, or you just got over something.
It's just not a good time. The flu really seems
to be the biggest player right now, and health officials
seem to agree as they say, right now we're dealing
with the worst flu season in years in Massachusetts. I
wanted to get a health expert in here to talk
with us about this, make sure we're up to speed,
know what we need to know. So joining us now
(00:49):
on the show is doctor Larry Mattoff. He is the
medical Director of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences at the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Doctor Mattoff, I know you're busy.
Thank you so much for the time here on New
England Weekend. Give us a rundown. I guess to start
of what we're seeing right now when it comes to
the flu. Here in Massachusetts, we're seeing a very high
(01:09):
level of influenza activity right now.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
It's really a severe flu season, and it's an early
flu season. We're seeing a rapid uptick in blue cases
across the board.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Now, what do you think is driving this? We hear
a lot about this subclade K. What makes it so potent?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Well, I'll start by saying that every flu season is
different and you can't necessarily predict what's going to happen,
and the type of strain that's circulating doesn't always tell
you what's what kind of a flu season we're going
to have. But I think there are a number of
factors that are driving the flu season this year, and one,
(01:50):
as you mentioned, is this subclade K. It's a newer
version of the H three N two influenza A virus,
and fewer people have seen it before, Fewer people it's
new to us, and so fewer people have immunity to it.
It's also different from the strain that's in the vaccine,
(02:12):
but vaccine immunity still will play an important role in
preventing the flu and in making the flu less serious,
and so that's important to remember. But this strain is
likely to be spreading more rapidly, and that probably accounts
for the rapid uptick and flu that we're seeing here
(02:35):
across the country and really around the world.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Okay, what are the symptoms that are coming specifically with
this strain that's going around right now?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
So the strain is really not different in terms of
the illness that it causes from other flu strains. So
while it spreads more rapidly, more people are susceptible to it.
That the symptoms that we see fever, sore throat are
similar to what we see from the flu every year,
(03:06):
and so that's not really different. In some people, the
illness can be more severe, and that's also not different
from what we see every year.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I wonder why, then, a lot of people are focusing
on this because you bring up a good point and
that every year we have deaths from the flu.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
We always have.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
It always feels like the flu, at least for a
few weeks, really hits us hard. Why do you think
we're seeing more reporting and talking about it this time around?
Is it because of this specific variant that's kind of
hitting us a little harder? What are your thoughts on that.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Well, we are seeing an early and severe flu season.
I also want to mention that one of the problems
that we're having this year is that not enough people
are getting vaccinated against the flu, and that also leads
to more cases and more spread of the flu. Really,
only about a third of the people in the state
(04:00):
in a flu vaccine so far this year, and that's
also contributing to the rapid climb and blue cases that
we're seeing.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Well, then I wonder if you're seeing a lot of
people doing that because of their maybe your reticence to
get the COVID vaccine, do you feel like one And
you know, both of those are going hand in hand
with people generally backing away from vaccines.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
It's complicated and hard to say what's driving this. I
think there is some just fatigue on vaccines, as you say,
you know, we've gotten so many vaccines in the last
few years, and people don't like needles. People are tired
of getting vaccinated. But you know that your health and
(04:45):
the health of those around you is important, and so
vaccination is really a simple thing that you can do.
You know, it takes a few minutes, it's readily available,
you can get your flu and COVID vaccine at the
same time if you want, And they're really important in
keeping us healthy and importantly keeping those around us healthy.
(05:08):
Because we don't get the flu, we won't give it
to other people.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Yeah, and even basic things like washing your hands, coughing
into your elbow. I mean, I feel like we get
reminded of these every year, but clearly we need those reminders.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
We do. And another important thing to remind people is
that it's a good idea to stay home when you
have a respiratory infection, both take care of yourself and
also to protect those around you so that they don't
catch it from you. If you can stay home for
a couple of days and you know, drink tea and
(05:43):
watch TV and not in fact other people, that's really important.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
I think that right now we're seeing a lot of
people also concerned about what do I take to deal
with these flu symptoms. Do I go and just lean
heavy on the niquill, Do I take TAMA flu. There's
all these different meds. What are your suggestions for that?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
So for many people with the flu, particularly those who
are are young and healthy, you know, just staying home
and taking care of yourself keeping, keeping yourself with a
good fluid intake, and keeping your fever down are are
are good enough and most people recover from the flu
(06:26):
in a few days. For those who are compromised, who
are older, for example, who have underlying medical conditions heart lung, kidney,
liver disease, diabetes, asthma, or who are very young, young children,
(06:47):
particularly under the age of two, it's important to reach
out to your health care provider and find out about
getting treated. There are safe, effective, specific treatments for the flu,
like tamil flu you mentioned and other similar drugs that
can really make a difference both in feeling better faster
(07:09):
and in preventing the severe complications of flu. Keeping you
out of the hospital.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
That's the most important thing. And that's a really good
point because with the flu vaccine, even if it's not
a direct match, it's going to keep you from clogging
up the hospitals because there's a lot of people that
are really putting a strain on our systems this time
of year.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Right. That is important to remember about the flu vaccine
is that it may it can protect you completely so
that you don't get the flu. But even if you
catch the flu, despite having the vaccine. It can turn
it into a milder form of the illness and won't
get as sick or as sick for as long as
if you hadn't had the vaccine, So that is very important.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah, well, these days, you've got covid, you've got flu,
you've got all these different viruses, you've got the common cold, Frankly,
and I really love the fact that now we're starting
to see more flu and covid combo tests out there,
so they're besides having one of those test kits. I mean,
how can we know if we're dealing with the flu
or covid or is it really just one of those
situations where testing is the only way to kind of
(08:13):
narrow it down right.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
The symptoms of flu, covid, rsv ad novirus, metanuma virus A,
a whole host of other respiratory viruses overlap considerably, and
so it's very difficult in an individual patient to know
what they have. And that's why these tests are so helpful.
(08:35):
And as you mentioned, the combo flu covid tests can
help you determine what you have and if it's something
that's treatable with an anti viral agent. Like flu or
covid and that can be life saving.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
What do you think people need to know? How much
longer do you think we're going to be dealing with this?
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So, the flu season typically lasts for another at least
couple of months. It usually doesn't even peak until early
February and so, and it lasts into the spring. So
it's with us, it's going to be with us for
a while. We're not seeing much COVID or RSV right now,
but I think those are likely to start coming up
(09:18):
soon and with a combination with the flu and those
things that we're going to see a lot more respiratory illness.
So get yourself vaccinated. It's not too late. There's plenty
of time left in the season, and getting a vaccine
now will protect you and those around you, and you know,
if you're sick, stay home and take care of yourself.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
All right, great advice, doctor, Thank you so much for
the time.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Nice to talk to you, Nicole.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
I hope you have a safe and healthy weekend. Stay warm.
Join us again next week for another edition of the show.
I'm Nicole Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
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