South Korea is grappling with an intense influenza season, with infections more than tripling from a year ago and showing pronounced peaks among school-aged children and adults over 50.
Advertisement
Official data suggests a potentially severe season ahead.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the national outpatient influenza-like illness rate for the 43rd week of the year (October 19-25) climbed to 13.6 cases per 1,000 patients, a significant leap from the previous week’s 7.9 cases.
The current rate decisively exceeds the national epidemic threshold of 9.1 cases and is nearly 3.5 times higher than the rate recorded during the same period in 2024 (3.9 cases).
The surge is most pronounced among younger age groups, with children aged 7 to 12 recording 31.6 cases per 1,000 outpatients and those aged 1 to 6 reporting 25.8 – the highest incidence rates this season.
Advertisement
The dominant strain in circulation is influenza A (H3N2), the most prevalent and virulent type, known for its ability to infect both humans and animals and trigger global pandemics. By contrast, influenza B infects only humans and typically causes milder, more localised outbreaks.
Citing the early onset of the current season and larger-than-usual outbreaks in southern hemisphere countries such as Australia, the KDCA projects that this year’s epidemic peak could match the severity of the 2024-25 season – the largest influenza outbreak in the past decade.