Overview
- WHO and ECDC report the influenza A H3N2 subclade K wave arrived 3–6 weeks early, with rapid growth across Europe and spreading in North America and Japan.
- England is averaging about 1,717 hospital inpatients with flu each day, including around 69 in intensive care, levels described in U.K. media as record highs.
- U.K. health authorities urge people with symptoms to wear masks and stay home, while Spain’s Basque service added 145 hospital beds and reports rising incidence affecting some surgeries.
- Schools in parts of the U.K., including Leeds and Caerphilly, have restricted activities or temporarily closed due to high absenteeism linked to respiratory outbreaks.
- Experts say subclade K reduces protection against infection yet vaccines still markedly lower severe outcomes, with the highest risks in young children, older adults, and those with chronic conditions as RSV and SARS‑CoV‑2 continue to co‑circulate.