The flu season in Europe typically begins during December. It has already started in Switzerland, and is picking up speed.
In the last week of November, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 459 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza – almost twice as many as in the previous week and more than twice as many as at the same time a year ago.
(It is more than likely that more people are ill but have not consulted a doctor, so these undocumented cases are not included in the official database).
The FOPH recorded 5.05 cases of flu per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the figures published on December 3rd. In 2024, this figure was only 2.05 in the same calendar week.
Similarly high figures were recorded in Switzerland in 2022, when the flu epidemic began comparatively early.
Regional differences
Most of the confirmed cases are in Ticino: 20.9 per 100,000 people – exceeding by far the national average of 5.05.
Other cantons with the above-average number of flu cases are Valais (10.5 per 100,000), Lucerne (8.9), Thurgau (6.34), and Geneva (6.21).
What will the rest of the season look like?
While it is difficult to accurately predict what course this illness will take in the coming weeks, FOPH’s indicators suggest that the curve hasn’t peaked yet.
As each year, this forecast is based on the influenza season in Australia (June to September, the depth of winter in the Southern Hemisphere), which is an indicator for Switzerland as well.
And this year, the flu season Down Under was a record-breaking one, so the same is likely to happen in Switzerland.
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As a reminder, flu is highly contagious and potentially dangerous for the elderly, people with chronic medical conditions, and those with a suppressed immune system.
If you had been vaccinated, however, you will likely avoid the illness altogether, or have a much milder form of it.
On the positive side, the Covid virus, which circulated through Switzerland in the fall, is no longer a threat.
