A surge in flu cases is impacting hospitals in Greater Manchester, with NHS figures showing an average of 164 patients in hospitals across the region with flu each day last week. It comes as the NHS warns the health service could be facing a 'worst case scenario' this Christmas as 'super flu' cases continue to climb.
Across the country, the number of patients hospitalised with flu remains at a record level for this time of year, jumping 55 per cent in just one week - to an average 2,660 patients in hospital each day last week.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said a 'particularly aggressive' strain of flu - dubbed 'super flu' - is creating 'probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid'. Known as A(H3N2) - or subclade K - the new strain has rapidly become the dominant influenza strain across the country.
The 'super flu' strain has sparked an unusually early flu season across the UK, but what do the latest figures tell us about this year's flu outbreaks in Greater Manchester?
The NHS is facing one of its toughest flu outbreaks in years, largely due to the unusually early start to this season. Data shows the 2025/26 season is already more intense than in previous years.
In Greater Manchester, flu hospitalisations are already much higher at this point in the season than previous years, with an average of 164 flu patients in hospitals across the region. Figures seen in late November this year are comparable to those seen closer to Christmas last season.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the circulating flu H3N2 strain has 'drifted', meaning it mutated over and no longer resembles previous versions of the virus. It said this is fuelling an unusually early flu season due to 'less natural immunity in the community'.
Hospitalisations from flu and norovirus have risen in recent weeks. Across England, the number of norovirus patients in hospital beds has also risen by 35 per cent - to an average of 354 each day last week.
Hospitals in Manchester had an average of more than 100 beds a day being taken by flu patients last week, figures show. This is the second highest number anywhere in England, behind hospitals in the Birmingham area.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust - which includes North Manchester General Hospital, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Wythenshawe, the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Withington and Trafford General together with others - is one of the largest trusts in the UK. Figures by NHS England show an average of 109 patients were in its hospitals with flu last week - a weekly increase of 17 cases.
Bolton has also been badly hit by flu. There were an average of 30 flu patients in the Royal Bolton Hospital per day in the week ending December 7 - an increase of 29 cases. Stockport NHS Foundation Trust also had 22 patients, while Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust had three.
Hospitals across the region are feeling the impact of winter viruses. The below chart shows the percentage of general and acute care beds occupied by flu patients in Greater Manchester in the week ending December 7.
At the peak of pressure during the winter of 2023/24, flu patients occupied around two per cent of all available beds in England. The NHS is currently experiencing a 'super flu' wave, with some hospitals - including those in Greater Manchester - with up to five to eight per cent of total beds occupied by flu patients.
See our interactive map to find out the average number of weekly flu hospitalisations where you are in Greater Manchester.
As flu cases surge, health officials have urged all those eligible in the region to get vaccinated against flu as soon as possible. To find out how to book your flu jab appointment or where to go for a walk-in vaccination, read our story here.
To help protect yourself and others, NHS Greater Manchester also recommends washing your hands regularly, letting some fresh air in when you have visitors, avoiding visiting vulnerable people if you're unwell, and wearing a face mask if you have cold or flu symptoms.