Finding Flu in 2023 is Challenging

While the United States is preparing for its next flu season with updated flu shots, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported on the global situation.

On June 26, 2023, the WHO announced Influenza Update N° 448, which stated influenza detections remained low globally.

However, what occurs in one hemisphere does not necessarily forecast what will happen in the other hemisphere because evolving influenza viruses impact populations differently, says the WHO.

Currently, in the southern hemisphere, some countries reported variable changes in influenza detections in recent weeks, while detections in others seemed to have already peaked this year.

And in the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, influenza activity was reported at low levels or below the seasonal threshold in most reporting countries, such as the United States.

In the Caribbean countries, influenza activity remained low overall.

In the Central American countries, increased influenza activity was reported in a few countries with A(H1N1)pdm09 most frequently detected.

In temperate South America, influenza activity decreased with A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses most frequently detected, followed by B viruses, mainly reflecting an apparent decrease in Chile.

In South Africa, influenza activity decreased but remained moderate in pneumonia.

Worldwide influenza seasonality data was updated on June 29,  2023.