Overview
- Germany’s RKI reports influenza A(H3N2) dominance with Subclade K found in most recent samples and about five million acute respiratory illnesses in the first week of January.
- Italy’s ISS logged roughly 800,000 flu cases in one week as emergency departments report overcrowding and patients treated on gurneys in corridors.
- Regional data show the wave intensifying in Germany: Bavaria reports very high influenza A activity, and Niedersachsen detected influenza in 36% of tested respiratory samples with over 1,100 lab‑confirmed cases in week two.
- Germany has recorded severe outcomes, including six influenza‑linked deaths in Saxony and two in Thuringia this year, and the RKI notes high hospitalizations for severe respiratory infections among those over 80.
- ECDC estimates current vaccines offer reduced yet meaningful protection against H3N2 (about 52–57%), and the WHO says activity remains within seasonal norms without signs of pandemic escalation.