Alert to clinicians – start of the 2026 Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Seasons

The 2026 influenza season started in week 11 (week starting 9 March 2026) when the influenza detection rate from the NICD inpatient pneumonia sentinel surveillance in public hospitals and in outpatients attending public clinics breached the seasonal threshold and was sustained for two consecutive weeks. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of bronchiolitis and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in young children and can lead to severe illness in infants.

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