Flu levels are continuing to rise in England, with some young children already needing intensive care. Rates are estimated to be highest among five to 14 year-olds, with 12.0% of laboratory samples from this age group testing positive, according to new figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Some 5.2% of samples from all age groups tested positive in the week to October 23, up from 4.8% in the previous week. Hospital admission rates are highest for those under the age of five, at 3.2 per 100,000 people, up week-on-week from 2.6.
Overall levels of flu are still low, meaning it is too early to predict how big the wave of infections will be. But vaccination uptake among very young children is down on this point last year, with an estimated 16% of two-year-olds having received the flu vaccine, along with 17% of three-year-olds.
