To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of influenza cases in hospitals in the last 12 months.
Answered on
10 January 2025
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) surveillance of influenza hospitalisations operates during winter season only, where most influenza activity is typically observed. Trends vary across the season and are published weekly at the following link:
UKHSA surveillance confirmed influenza cases admitted to hospital, shows the overall influenza hospitalisation rate in the most recent published data, namely week 52 commencing 23 December 2024, was 14.09 per 100,000. For comparison, in the 2023 to 2024 season, influenza hospitalisation rates peaked in week 52, namely the week commencing 25 December 2023, with a rate of 6.65 per 100,000 and again in week 4, namely the week commencing 22 January 2024, with a rate of 7.55 per 100,000.