KDCA: Flu Season Arriving Earlier Than Usual... Influenza Alert Expected This Week

36.5 Per 1,000 Elementary Students Show ILI Symptoms, Highest Rate Recorded
Sharp Rise in Hospitalizations and Emergency Room Visits
COVID-19 Cases Also Spiking Ahead of Chuseok Holiday

Domestic cases of influenza (the flu) have been rising faster than usual since late summer, and an influenza alert is expected to be issued this week. With the start of the new school year, the number of cases—particularly among elementary school students—is increasing rapidly. As the Chuseok holiday approaches, health authorities have decided to move up their response efforts together with related ministries and the medical community.

At the 9th Joint Response Meeting for Respiratory Infectious Diseases held on September 8, Lim Seung-kwan, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated, "Recently, the incidence of influenza is unusually increasing from late August and through the end of summer," and added, "Given this recent upward trend, an influenza alert is expected to be issued this week."

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the influenza-like illness (ILI) rate for week 35 this year was 13.3 patients per 1,000 outpatients, a significant rise from 9.2 the week before. This is much higher than the same period in previous years—7.8 per 1,000 in 2024 and 6.4 per 1,000 last year. The number of hospitalized influenza patients at hospital-level medical institutions also jumped from 43 in week 32 to 162 in week 35, nearly a four-fold increase. During the same period, the number of emergency room visits rose from 373 to 1,606.

Children and guardians are crowding at a children's specialty hospital in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

The surge is particularly pronounced among children and adolescents. For week 35, the ILI rate by age group was highest among those aged 7 to 12, at 36.5 per 1,000 individuals. This was followed by children aged 1 to 6 at 22.6, those aged 19 to 49 at 14.9, and those aged 13 to 18 at 14.6 per 1,000. The influenza virus detection rate also rose to 12.3%, up from 10.0% the previous week, remaining higher than the levels typically seen at this time of year.

In Japan, the number of influenza cases reported per medical institution reached 1.76 for week 35, surpassing the outbreak threshold of 1 case per facility. This marks the second earliest onset of an outbreak since influenza sample surveillance began in 1999, following the onset during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. In China, the number of cases has also risen, particularly in the southern regions, and the positive rate for influenza among outpatients and emergency room patients in week 35 increased to 17.7%.

Mid- to long-term modeling conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and related institutions projects that the scale of this influenza season will be similar to last year, but the duration could be longer.

COVID-19 cases are also on the rise. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in week 35 reached 109, about a quarter of the 406 reported during the same period last year, but has increased for six consecutive weeks. The virus detection rate also rose from 5.7% in week 32 to 11.7% in week 35.

Starting on September 21, the government will sequentially conduct the national influenza vaccination program, beginning with children and pregnant women. From October 12, individuals aged 65 and older will be able to receive both influenza and COVID-19 vaccines simultaneously.

Commissioner Lim stated, "We encourage all those eligible for the national vaccination program to get vaccinated according to their designated schedule," and added, "The government will work closely with relevant ministries to ensure there are no issues in the supply of antiviral agents and treatment drugs, including antipyretics and pain relievers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.