UK flu season starts early with surge among children

The flu season in the United Kingdom has begun unusually early, with cases rising sharply this week and infections concentrated among school-aged children, health officials said on Friday. UK Health Security Agency surveillance data shows confirmed cases increased from 6.1 to 8.2 this week and remain substantially higher than a year ago, when the figure was 2.9, while positivity among five- to 14-year-olds reached 30.8 percent, up from 20.0 percent the previous week.

Officials warned the early spike in children may presage wider community transmission and a prolonged season. Hospital admissions for flu in England rose to 2.2 per 100,000 people last week, up from 1.7 the week before and about double the rate at the same time last year. Admission rates are highest among people aged 85 and over, at 11.8 per 100,000, and have also increased for young children and older adults, according to UKHSA figures.

Public health authorities pointed to signals from the Asia-Pacific region, where Japan has declared a flu epidemic and many schools have closed, as an early warning of what might unfold in the UK. Dr Alex Allen, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said the data showed "a sharp...