Are flu cases already 100 times higher than last year?

Alarming headlines and media coverage have said we’ve had 100 times as many influenza cases in the first two months of 2023 compared with the same time the previous year.

The coverage suggested we’re in for a bumper flu season, starting early and your best protection was to get a flu vaccine, when available.

But that scary sounding 100 figure is misleading. Here’s what’s behind the figures and what we can really expect from the 2023 flu season.