UK Health Security Agency report shows flu is spreading in the community amid fears children will pass on new strain to older relatives at Christmas

Flu infections are surging in the community according to new data from the UK Health Security Agency.

Children are driving the growing flu surge which is the highest on record for the time of year. Health chiefs use a range of surveillance measures to assess how much flu is spreading with analysis at laboratories where hospitals and GPs send samples from patients who present with flu-like illness.

The flu positivity rate in England increased to 21% last week compared with 17% in the previous week, the UKHSA data shows. Swab samples sent specifically from GPs were 34% positive for flu, compared with 24.2% last week. Children and young p

See Full Page