Flu season is knocking at Europe’s door this fall.
Though it’s impossible to ascertain how bad the influenza season will be, public health practitioners warn it could be severe in Europe due to slow vaccination rates and early signals from far-flung countries such as Japan and Australia.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which tracks flu activity in the EU region, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, “As of mid-October, the number of patients with flu-like respiratory symptoms remains low but is increasing in most countries, as expected for this time of year.”
The influenza season in Europe runs from mid-November to late May, but since the Covid-19 pandemic, the season patterns may have shifted.
The influenza season in Europe runs from mid-November to late May, but since the Covid-19 pandemic, the season patterns may have shifted.
The data of ECDC shows that eleven countries are now reporting sporadic flu activity, meanwhile, in the UK, health officials have already warned about the rising flu levels, especially among young adults.
According to experts, the severity of influenza season depends on three primary factors: the number of vulnerable people, the environment, and the strain of the virus spreading this year.
To know when the flu season is beginning in different countries, experts are watching for early cases in public places like schools, prisons, and care homes, besides, they are also keeping a check on which flu virus types are appearing.
Just last year in Europe, the main ones were influenza A strains H1 and H3, and the influenza B/Victoria virus.
Other parts of the world may provide early indicators, such as In Australia and New Zealand, a strain of influenza A known as H3N2 surged as their winter concluded over the past two months.
Separately, Japan has declared a flu epidemic approximately five weeks earlier than its typical seasonal start.
While the flu doesn’t usually cause serious health issues for young, healthy adults, it is a looming threat during the cold winter months alongside other respiratory diseases, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pneumonia, and Covid-19.
Influenza infects 20% of Europeans, which is one in every five, each winter and causes approximately 27,600 annual deaths within the EU region.
The best remedy is to get vaccinated ahead of the influenza season against the virus and relieve the burden on hospitals.
The vaccination is updated each year because its effectiveness decreases over time, likely caused by both fading immunity and the virus’s continuous evolution.
ECDC data reveals a significant gap between the EU’s flu vaccination coverage target of 75%, and reality, with most countries’ coverage falling below 50% last season. The exceptions were Denmark (76%), Iceland (75%), which achieved 76% and 75% respectively, alongside Portugal (71%) and Sweden (68%).