Flu season in Italy
Current flu activity in Italy — based on ECDC ERVISS weekly data, set against the parallel COVID-19 and RSV trajectories.
Current situation: Influenza
In week 15 of 2026, activity of influenza (seasonal flu) in Italy is low. The trend — derived from clinical surveillance — is falling. Over a four-week comparison, a clear decline is visible.
The classification is based on the ECDC ERVISS weekly reports, drawing on data from Italy's RespiVirNet sentinel surveillance system run by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS). Seasonally, infection waves in Italy typically peak between December and February; 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 Italy is built on the European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS), published weekly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). RespiVirNet (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, ISS) 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 Italy's case RespiVirNet (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, ISS) — 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
RespiVirNet (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, ISS) 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 Italy?
Flu in Italy typically starts rising in December, peaks between January and February, and eases through March. The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) runs the RespiVirNet integrated surveillance system and publishes weekly bulletins describing the curve. Timing and intensity vary from season to season, influenced by the dominant influenza subtypes and residual population immunity.
How does ISS classify flu severity?
Through RespiVirNet, ISS publishes weekly reports combining primary-care incidence from sentinel GPs and paediatricians, hospital admissions for severe acute respiratory infection, ICU admissions, and virological positivity. Activity is described in qualitative bands against historical thresholds. Italy also contributes to the ECDC European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS), placing Italian activity in its European context.
How is flu surveillance organised in Italy?
RespiVirNet is coordinated by ISS in partnership with the Ministero della Salute and the regional health authorities. Sentinel “medici sentinella” GPs and paediatricians report weekly ILI incidence and submit swabs for virological testing at reference laboratories. Hospital surveillance adds severe-case and ICU admission data. The integrated bulletin is published weekly and feeds the ECDC ERVISS dashboard.
Is the flu vaccine free in Italy?
Italy offers free seasonal flu vaccination through the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale to groups at higher risk, typically including adults aged 60 or 65 and over depending on the region, pregnant women, people with certain long-term conditions, children aged 6 months to 6 years in many regions, healthcare workers, and carers. Vaccination coverage is reported by ISS and the Ministero della Salute alongside RespiVirNet surveillance.
How does this year's Italian flu season compare to previous ones?
Each season is shaped by the dominant influenza subtype and accumulated immunity. RespiVirNet reports compare current indicators against recent seasons, and ECDC ERVISS provides European-level context. Italy has seen both early, sharp peaks in January and longer, drawn-out curves stretching into March. The weekly bulletins show whether current activity sits above or below the recent historical average.
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