Flu season in the Netherlands
Current flu activity in the Netherlands — 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 the Netherlands is low. The trend — derived from clinical surveillance — is rising. A clear upward movement has emerged over the past few weeks.
The classification is based on the ECDC ERVISS weekly reports, drawing on NIVEL primary care surveillance and virological data from RIVM (note that some indicators reflect influenza-like illness consultation rates only). Seasonally, infection waves in the Netherlands 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 the Netherlands is built on the European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS), published weekly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). NIVEL together with RIVM 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 the Netherlands's case NIVEL together with RIVM — 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
NIVEL together with RIVM 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 the Netherlands?
Flu activity in the Netherlands typically begins rising in late December, peaks between January and March, and eases through April. The peak tends to arrive slightly later than in some neighbouring countries. The Nivel Primary Care Database and the Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM) together monitor the curve and publish weekly surveillance updates.
How does RIVM classify flu severity?
RIVM publishes weekly surveillance in collaboration with Nivel and the Erasmus MC national reference laboratory. Indicators include Nivel sentinel GP consultations for ILI, virological positivity, and hospital admissions for severe acute respiratory infection. Activity is described in qualitative bands against historical thresholds, and the Dutch curve is also reported to the ECDC European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS) for cross-country comparison.
How is flu surveillance organised in the Netherlands?
The Dutch system centres on two pillars. Nivel runs a sentinel GP network that collects weekly ILI consultation data and submits nose-and-throat swabs for testing at Erasmus MC and RIVM. Hospital-based surveillance adds severe acute respiratory infection admissions. RIVM integrates these streams into its weekly respiratory-virus bulletin and supplies harmonised indicators to the ECDC ERVISS platform.
Is the flu vaccine free in the Netherlands?
The Nationaal Programma Grieppreventie offers a free annual flu vaccine to adults aged 60 and over and to people with certain chronic conditions, regardless of age. Most vaccinations take place at GP practices in October and November. RIVM publishes coverage figures each season alongside weekly surveillance, and vaccination timing is deliberately aligned with the typical January–March Dutch flu peak.
How does this year's Dutch flu season compare to previous ones?
Each season depends on the dominant influenza subtype and accumulated immunity. Nivel and RIVM compare current indicators against recent seasons, and ECDC ERVISS provides a European view. The Netherlands has seen both short, sharp peaks and extended, moderate curves. Weekly bulletins make clear whether current activity sits above or below the recent historical baseline.
Want the actual numbers?
You'll find them in the app.
Here you only see the trend. In the app: exact incidence rates, “X out of 100 people infectious”, your personal risk based on age and pre-existing conditions, wastewater trends, 36 countries, home-screen widget.
