Overview
- WHO reports the seasonal peak has arrived 3–6 weeks early, with sharp rises in cases and admissions in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the US, Canada and Japan.
- UK health authorities project up to about 8,000 influenza hospitalizations in England next week, a level not seen since 2010.
- Hospitals and public agencies are reinstating measures such as masking in clinical settings, stay‑home and isolation advice for symptomatic people, surge staffing and targeted school disruptions.
- Experts attribute the acceleration to H3N2 subclade K mutations that boost transmissibility and enable partial immune escape, as RSV and SARS‑CoV‑2 co-circulation complicates diagnosis.
- Vaccination is still advised for strong protection against severe disease (roughly 65% effectiveness cited), and WHO and PAHO urge Southern Hemisphere countries to prepare, strengthen surveillance and plan earlier campaigns.