As the severity of the flu season slowly picks up, the BC Centre for Disease Control says it’s been unlike last year.

H1N1 has been the dominant strain so far, making up about 80 per cent of the cases they’ve detected.

That’s according the Influenza lead, Dr. Danuta Skowronski.

“It’s different from last year when it was mostly H3N2 that was circulating,” she said. “H3N2 targets the elderly so it’s different this year, the message is foremost directed towards non-elderly adults because it’s H1N1 that’s mostly circulating.”

“It doesn’t mean the elderly are invincible this year, H3N2 is contributing, but just not as much.”

Skowronski adds says a new kind of H1N1 has been around since 2009.

It’s been evolving slightly to try to evade our immunity in the population,” added Skowronski. “The good news is that both H3N2 and H1N1, as well as Influenza B, are included in the vaccine.”

“We may well see some Influenza B that typically shows up towards the end of the season, but right now it’s mostly about H1N1.”

She says there’s a chance the virus could spread as people celebrate with friends and family over the holiday season.