Overview
- ECDC reports influenza circulation starting weeks earlier than usual and urges eligible people, especially high‑risk groups, to get vaccinated without delay.
- Researchers identify A(H3N2) Subclade K as genetically divergent and likely more transmissible, with projections of roughly 20% higher case numbers than an average season.
- Australia’s recent wave topped 400,000 lab‑confirmed cases with about one‑third in children under 15, serving as a warning for the northern hemisphere.
- Early analyses from the UK suggest vaccination still cuts hospitalizations substantially, and authorities also recommend strengthened infection control and timely antivirals for high‑risk patients.
- Separately, the CDC confirmed a fatal human H5N5 case in Washington State with no sign of human‑to‑human spread, as Institut Pasteur flags the theoretical pandemic risk and global agencies assess current risk as low.