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It’s flu season in Europe, and cases of the infection are rising faster across the continent.
According to figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), in 2025, cases of the flu across the European Union increased three to four weeks earlier than in the previous two seasons.
Europe’s flu season usually runs from mid-November to late May.
Influenza A, the most common type of flu, is dominant in all EU countries, with most reporting widespread activity at low-to-medium intensity.
Children between 5 and 14 years old are the main people falling ill. However, adults aged 65 and above are the ones being hospitalised at the highest rate.
Symptoms of the flu can include headaches, fatigue, cough, and a runny nose.
Up to one in five Europeans is infected with the flu every winter, and it is linked to roughly 27,600 deaths annually across the EU.
To combat the virus, experts recommend vaccination, the use of antivirals, and wearing face masks in healthcare and long-term care facilities.
While the data in most EU countries is still being collected, some EU countries have reported a successful vaccination campaign.
Preliminary data from the ECDC’s primary care multicentre study indicate that the seasonal vaccines available in the EU are protecting against influenza A(H3N2) infection, with vaccine effectiveness ranging from 52% to 57%.
Ireland
In the first week of December 2025, Ireland recorded the highest number of flu cases during the winter season in people aged 65 years and older and younger than 15 years to date, according to the country’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).
However, the HPSC believes the flu cases will continue to rise rapidly over the coming weeks, with the peak still to come.
Between 30 November and 6 December, the country registered a rise of 49% in flu cases compared with the previous week.
The number of flu hospitalisations also increased to 657 compared to 415 the previous week, with the highest number of hospitalised cases in those aged less than 15 years and over 65 years.
“Flu vaccination significantly reduces hospitalisations by preventing severe illness and lowering the risk of serious complications,” the HPSC noted.
Until the first week of December, 73% of ICU admissions in the country were due to flu, and had not received the current seasonal flu vaccine.
France
In the last week of December 2025, France and its territories experienced a flu epidemic, with the virus’s activity rising everywhere except for Réunion Island, according to Santé publique France, a government agency supervised by the French Health Ministry.
People over 65 years were the most affected, while children under 15 were less affected, “probably due to the school holidays”, the agency said.
In addition, there was an increase in the death rate due to the flu registered in the last week of 2025 (4.1%) in comparison with 2024 (3.9%).
Around 11.4 million French people were administered the flu jab in 2025, according to a report by French news outlet BFMTV. It corresponds to an increase of 15.6% in comparison with the same period last year.
From 14 October to 30 November, more than 10.3 million flu vaccines were sold by pharmacies, according to the French Health Ministry.
The figure represents an increase of approximately 17% compared to the same period in 2024.
In the past few days, the country’s national healthcare system has been under extra pressure due to a widespread doctors’ strike.
Belgium
In Belgium, the flu is increasing at a low rate, according to Sciensano, Belgium’s research and national public health institute.
In the last weeks of December 2025, Belgians aged between 15 and 64 and 65 and over were the most infected.
Despite the number of GP appointments due to flu-symptoms remaining at a low-level, they increased to 194 appointments per 100,000 inhabitants in the first week of 2026.
Brussels is the most affected region, followed by Wallonia and Flanders.
Hospital admissions for severe acute respiratory infection due to the flu are increasing but remain relatively low.
The country’s vaccine campaign has also been more successful this flu season compared to others.
The country administered more than 1.9 million vaccines between September and mid-December 2025 — 103,000 more than the previous year.
Portugal
In the first week of January 2026, Portugal registered 1,340 flu cases, an increase compared with the previous two weeks.
Between Christmas and the first week of January 2026, the country has also faced an excessive mortality of over 1,700 deaths.
Some of the causes of the increase in flu cases are due to more contagious viruses, the back-to-school period and New Year’s celebrations, according to health experts.
However, the flu peak might not been reached yet, according to health authorities.
At the beginning of January this year, Portugal had administered more than 2.5 million flu vaccines, according to the latest report of the country’s Directorate General of Health (DGS).
People over the age of 85 are most likely to take the flu vaccine in Portugal, with 86.98% getting the shot.
They are closely followed by those aged between 80 and 84 (78.11%), while 74,47% of those aged over 65 are vaccinated.
The seasonal vaccination campaign started on 23 September 2025 and will end on 30 April 2026.
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