Overview
- Health officials identify A(H3N2) subclade K as the dominant flu strain and urge eligible people to get vaccinated.
- NHS national medical director Professor Meghana Pandit describes the pressure on services as a worst-case scenario for this time of year.
- Childhood vaccination rates hit a 15-year low in 2025, with measles outbreaks largely affecting unvaccinated children under 11 and raising concern about rubella’s return.
- A recombinant mpox variant, described as a combination of two known strains, was detected in a traveler returning from Asia and is considered potentially severe.
- Researchers caution that an unknown ‘Disease X’ remains a real threat and note that food insecurity—affecting about one in three globally and 11% of UK households—can weaken immunity and raise infectious-disease risks.