Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42564072›Full record

ArticleCommunications health2026

Influenza A/H3N2 epidemiology in England during the 2025 to 2026 season: a mathematical modelling study.

James A Hay, Punya Alahakoon, Alexander Greenshields-Watson, Michelle Kendall, Mahan Ghafari, Chris Wymant, Robert Hinch, Luca Ferretti, Jasmina Panovska-Griffiths, Christophe Fraser

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

James A HayPandemic Sciences Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Punya Alahakoon *Pandemic Sciences Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Alexander Greenshields-Watson *Pandemic Sciences Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Michelle KendallPandemic Sciences Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Mahan GhafariPandemic Sciences Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Chris WymantPandemic Sciences Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Robert HinchPandemic Sciences Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Luca FerrettiPandemic Sciences Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Jasmina Panovska-GriffithsPandemic Sciences Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Christophe FraserPandemic Sciences Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: England experienced an unusually early and rapid increase in influenza A/H3N2 subclade K infections in 2025/26. Antigenic change and a fast selective sweep raised concerns over a potentially severe season. Building on analysis conducted as the subclade emerged, we aim to compare epidemic dynamics of the 2025/26 season to previous years and to model plausible epidemiological scenarios. Methods: We compared peak epidemic growth rates and reproduction numbers across influenza seasons from 2011/12 to 2025/26 using routine surveillance data in England. Weekly epidemic growth rates were estimated using a Gaussian random walk model, and time-varying reproduction numbers using Results: Peak A/H3N2 growth rates and time-varying reproduction numbers for the 2025/26 season are of similar magnitude but earlier than previous severe seasons. Scenario analyses suggest early trends are compatible with moderate levels of immune escape, a 10% higher Conclusions: The 2025/26 influenza season is characterised by early but not unusually rapid growth. Earlier growth does not systematically lead to especially large epidemics due to earlier susceptible depletion combined with a dampening effect from school holidays. Laboratory evidence for antibody escape does not directly translate to large reductions in population immunity, supporting the need for complementary real-time epidemiological analyses and modelling.

Indexed as

Computational biology and bioinformaticsDiseasesImmunologyMicrobiology

Identifiers

PMID42564072
PMCPMC13441895

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.