Flu season in France
Current flu activity in France — based on ECDC ERVISS weekly data, set against the parallel COVID-19 and RSV trajectories.
Current situation: Influenza
In week 13 of 2026, activity of influenza (seasonal flu) in France is low. The trend — derived from clinical surveillance — is rising. A slight upward trend has emerged over recent weeks.
The classification is based on the ECDC ERVISS weekly reports, drawing on data from Santé publique France's sentinel GP network and laboratory positivity rates. Seasonally, infection waves in France typically peak between January and March; activity is usually markedly lower during the summer months. How severe a given season becomes depends on the circulating virus variant and the population's immune status, among other factors.
Data sources and methodology
The current picture for France is built on the European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS), published weekly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Santé publique France is the national public-health authority that feeds ERVISS with sentinel primary care and virology data.
ECDC ERVISS
ERVISS is ECDC's weekly pan-European surveillance summary for influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV. National authorities — in France's case Santé publique France — submit harmonised indicators every week, which ECDC publishes in a standardised dataset on Thursdays. Using ERVISS rather than each country's native portal ensures cross-country comparability.
ILI / ARI consultation rates and positivity
Santé publique France operates a sentinel network of general practices that report weekly rates of patients consulting for influenza-like illness (ILI) or acute respiratory infection (ARI). A subset of patients is swabbed and tested by reference laboratories, producing pathogen-specific positivity rates for flu, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV.
Why this source
Combining consultation incidence with virological positivity yields a pathogen-specific weekly incidence signal (ILI × positivity / 100). This is the standard European methodology and provides a more robust view than either indicator alone — consultation rates capture illness burden, positivity confirms which pathogen is driving it.
Qualitative classification
The “low”, “moderate” and “high” categories follow seasonal reference values and epidemiological thresholds calibrated to match our classifications for other countries. The ILI × positivity / 100 product is scaled to comparable thresholds using a divisor of 3, which aligns European sentinel peaks with the consultation-equivalent scale used elsewhere. Data refreshes weekly when ECDC publishes the latest ERVISS update, typically on Thursdays.
Frequently asked questions
When is flu season in France?
Flu activity in France typically starts climbing in December, peaks between January and March, and eases through April. Santé publique France monitors the curve each week in its Bulletin infections respiratoires aiguës. The peak frequently arrives slightly later than in some other European countries, and intensity varies year to year depending on the dominant influenza subtypes and residual population immunity.
How does Santé publique France classify flu severity?
Santé publique France publishes weekly respiratory-infection bulletins describing activity in qualitative bands. These are based on indicators including SOS Médecins consultations, emergency department visits via the OSCOUR network, hospital admissions, ICU admissions, and virological positivity from sentinel networks Réseau Sentinelles and GROG. France also feeds into the ECDC European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS), which allows cross-country comparison with the rest of the EU.
How is flu surveillance organised in France?
France combines primary-care and hospital data. Réseau Sentinelles, run by Inserm and Sorbonne Université, collects ILI consultations from sentinel GPs who also submit swabs for virological testing. OSCOUR captures emergency department visits, SOS Médecins covers home visits, and hospital and ICU admissions for severe acute respiratory infection are tracked via the SIVIC system. Santé publique France integrates these streams into weekly surveillance bulletins.
Is the flu vaccine free in France?
France offers free flu vaccination through the Assurance Maladie each autumn to groups at higher risk, including adults aged 65 and over, pregnant women, people with certain long-term conditions, healthcare workers, and carers. Vouchers are sent directly to eligible people, and pharmacists can administer the vaccine. Santé publique France publishes vaccination coverage estimates alongside its weekly flu surveillance reports.
How does this year's French flu season compare to previous ones?
Each season differs according to the dominant influenza subtypes and accumulated immunity. Santé publique France compares current incidence indicators against recent seasons, and the ECDC ERVISS bulletin places France in its European context. Some years France sees a sharp, early peak in January, others a drawn-out curve that persists into March. The weekly bulletins show whether activity is above or below the recent historical average.
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