Is Flu Going Up in England?
Yes — flu is rising in England. In the week starting 12 October 2026, 1.94 people per 100,000 were admitted to hospital with flu, up from 1.81 the week before (2.25 a year earlier). 6.3% of flu tests were positive in the week starting 19 October 2026, up from 5.9%.
Flu in England, week by week
| Week starting | Hospital admissions (per 100,000) | ICU / HDU admissions (per 100,000) | Test positivity (%) | Hospital admissions a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | — | — | 6.3% | 2.87 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 1.94 | 0.08 | 5.9% | 2.25 |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 1.81 | 0.07 | 6.3% | 1.89 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 1.81 | 0.06 | 5.8% | 0.92 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 1.12 | 0.10 | 5.4% | 0.36 |
| 14 Sep 2026 | 0.64 | 0.05 | 4.5% | 0.35 |
| 7 Sep 2026 | 0.70 | 0.05 | 3.4% | 0.45 |
| 31 Aug 2026 | 0.50 | 0.02 | 2.5% | 0.20 |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 0.69 | 0.01 | 2.4% | 0.03 |
| 17 Aug 2026 | 0.58 | 0.02 | 2.2% | 0.24 |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 0.50 | 0.02 | 1.6% | 0.23 |
| 3 Aug 2026 | 0.40 | 0.02 | 1.1% | 0.10 |
"—" = not published for that week yet. Hospital figures trail test positivity by about a week.
Official advice
What this page shows, and what it misses
UKHSA's weekly flu figures for England, read from its public data dashboard: hospital and intensive-care admissions with confirmed flu per 100,000 people, the share of flu tests that were positive and, while UKHSA's winter survey runs, flu-like illness reported by survey participants. "Up" or "down" here means a change of 5% or more on the week before. It does not count everyone with flu — most people are never tested — and it covers England only. The newest weeks can be revised.
Source: UK Health Security Agency, UKHSA data dashboard (ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.