In the 50th week of 2025 (December 8-14), the positive rate of influenza virus detection in northern provinces in China maintained the downtrend from the previous week, whereas some southern provinces also saw a decline in the positive rate of influenza virus detection, Xinhua News Agency reported, quoting the latest monitoring data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC).

Wang Dayan, a researcher at the China CDC’s Institute of Viral Diseases, stated that this indicates that the overall influenza activity nationwide has reached what is commonly referred to as the “inflection point”, but it does not mean that the peak flu season is over, and the peak time will vary across provinces.

She noted that it generally takes 6 to 8 weeks to decline to a lower prevalence level after reaching the peak, and there may be slight fluctuations during the decline.