An intense surge in flu cases driven by a newly dominant virus strain is sweeping across Europe, placing healthcare systems in several countries under severe pressure, the World Health Organization has said.
The WHO said on Wednesday that at least 27 of the 38 countries in its European region were reporting “high or very high influenza activity”, with more than half of patients with flu-like symptoms testing positive in six countries including Ireland, Serbia, Slovenia and the UK.
It said the flu season had begun roughly four weeks earlier than in previous years and urged populations to curb transmission by getting vaccinated, staying home if they were unwell, and wearing a mask in public if they had respiratory symptoms.
The WHO said the new seasonal flu variant – A(H3N2) sub-clade K – was driving the infections, accounting for up to 90% of all confirmed flu cases in the European region, but added that there was no evidence it was causing more severe disease.
Hans Henri Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, said: “Flu comes around every winter, but this year is a little different. It shows how just a small genetic variation in the flu virus can place enormous pressure on our health systems.”
Kluge also stressed the danger of misinformation and disinformation. “It’s vital in the current climate to seek credible information from trusted sources like national health agencies and the WHO,” he said. “In a challenging flu season, trustworthy, evidence-based information can be lifesaving.”
The WHO said early data from the UK confirmed that the flu vaccine lowered the risk of severe illness from the A(H3N2) strain, although it may not prevent infection, and said vaccination remained the single most important preventive step.
“This is especially important for those at higher risk, including older persons, those with underlying conditions, pregnant women and children,” it said. Health workers were also a priority group to protect their own health and that of their patients.
“As in other seasons, school-age children are the primary drivers of community spread,” it added. “However, adults aged 65 and older constitute the majority of severe cases requiring hospitalisation.”
Kluge said the flu season was expected to peak in late December or early January. “The current flu season, though serious, does not represent the level of global emergency we faced during the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
“Our health systems have decades of experience managing influenza, we have safe vaccines that are updated annually, and we have a clear playbook of protective measures that work,” Kluge added.
Britain’s NHS said last week it was bracing for one of its worst winters on record amid mounting pressure on GP surgeries, hospitals and ambulance services. The Robert Koch Institute in Germany said the country’s flu season had started two to three weeks early.
France’s national public health agency, Santé publique, has said flu activity was “increasing strongly” in metropolitan France, with cases rising in all age groups and the number of people seeking treatment at hospital emergency departments rising.
In Spain, infection rates were already higher than last year’s winter peak and hospitalisations had doubled in a week, while Romania and Hungary were also experiencing strong surges in cases.
