Commonground
Senior Moderator
Influenza Cases Continue to Rise Across Fiji
PUBLIC ADVISORY #39 | 18 September 2026The Ministry of Health & Medical Services is urging the public to take extra health precautions following a sharp increase in flu cases across the country.
The latest respiratory health report, covering the first nine months of the year (January to September 2026), shows that sickness from flu-like viruses is rising quickly.
In the first week of September alone, health centers recorded 1,780 new cases of influenza-like illness (ILI). This is a massive 75 percent jump in sickness compared to just the week before.
Health data shows that the Central Division is currently the hardest-hit area in Fiji, recording the highest number of flu cases with 975 patients seeking care in a single week.
The Northern Division followed with 398 cases, while the Western Division recorded 362 cases.
The report also reveals that children under 5 years old are the most affected age group.
This young group makes up 30 percent of all flu-like cases nationwide.
In the Northern Division, young children accounted for 30 percent of the local cases, while in the Central Division, they made up 24 percent.
Laboratory tests from January to September confirm that a specific flu strain, Influenza A (H1pdm09), is the main virus causing the current outbreak.
Furthermore, an online public health tracker called FluTracking showed that the number of everyday citizens reporting both a cough and a fever spiked from 10.2 percent to 16.4 percent in one week.
Continued: https://www.health.gov.fj/influenza-cases-continue-to-rise-across-fiji/