Flu season may last until April, officials warn
Data from countries in the southern hemisphere indicate that this year’s influenza (flu) activity may continue through April—later than what Greek data have shown in previous years.
According to the Network of Morbidity Observers in Primary Health Care, Greece’s post-pandemic flu season typically begins between November 10 and December 10 and peaks around the start of the new year. However, Alternate Health Minister Irini Agapidaki told the Athens–Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) that “based on epidemiological data recorded during the flu season in the southern hemisphere, seasonal flu activity in our country is expected to last longer and be more severe.”
Agapidaki noted that in Greece, the flu season usually runs from October to the end of March. “However, there is an assessment that this year seasonal flu may last until April,” she said, adding that this has prompted increased vigilance among health authorities and underscores the importance of vaccination—especially for people with vulnerable immune systems, such as those with chronic illnesses, the elderly, pregnant women, infants, and young children.
This year, influenza appeared earlier in southern hemisphere countries such as Japan and Australia and has been highly contagious, surpassing the average levels of the past five years. Christos Chatzichristodoulou, President of the National Public Health Organization (EODY), stated that the predominant strain in Japan and Australia is A/H1N1pdm, with fewer cases of the B/Victoria strain.
