According to the WHO, at least 27 out of 38 nations in the European region are reporting high or extremely high influenza activity.
According to the World Health Organization, a newly dominant virus strain is causing a sharp increase in flu infections throughout Europe, severely straining healthcare systems in several nations.
At least 27 out of the 38 nations in its European region are reporting “high or very high influenza activity,” according to the WHO on Wednesday. In six of these nations—Ireland, Serbia, Slovenia, and the UK—more than half of patients with flu-like symptoms tested positive.
It stated that the flu season had started about four weeks earlier than it had in prior years and advised people to stop the spread of the illness by getting vaccinated, remaining at home if they were sick, and donning masks in public if they had respiratory symptoms.
Up to 90% of all confirmed flu cases in the European region were caused by the new seasonal flu variation, A(H3N2) sub-clade K, according to the WHO. However, there was no proof that this variety was causing more serious illness.
Every winter, the flu strikes, but this year is a little different, according to Hans Henri Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe. A tiny genetic mutation in the flu virus can severely strain our health systems.
Kluge also emphasized the peril of false and misleading information. “Looking for reliable information from reliable sources like national health agencies and the WHO is crucial in the current climate,” he stated. “Reliable, fact-based information can save lives during a difficult flu season.”
What WHO said on this Flu Season
The WHO stated that vaccination was still the most effective preventive measure and that preliminary data from the UK showed that the flu shot reduced the risk of serious illness from the A(H3N2) strain, even though it might not completely prevent infection.
“Those at higher risk, such as older people, people with underlying conditions, pregnant women, and children, should pay particular attention to this,” the statement stated. Protecting their own and their patients’ health was also a top responsibility for healthcare professionals.
It said, “School-age children are the primary drivers of community spread, as in other seasons.” “However, the majority of severe cases requiring hospitalization are in adults 65 and older.”
The flu season is predicted to peak in late December or early January, according to Kluge. He added, “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. The current flu season, though serious, does not represent the level of global emergency we faced during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
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, 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 hospitalizations had doubled in a week, while Romania and Hungary were also experiencing strong surges in cases.
