Influenza, often referred to as ‘flu’, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. Seasonal flu epidemics occur yearly during the colder months. Although the yearly impact of influenza varies, it affects the health of New Yorkers each season. Most people who get sick with flu will have mild illness and will recover in less than two weeks without medical care. Some people, such as older adults, young children, pregnant women, nursing home residents, and people with asthma, lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, or obesity, are more likely to develop flu-related complications. Getting an annual flu shot, staying home while sick, washing your hands often, and other good health habits help prevent the spread of influenza.

These interactive views display influenza cases each week across New York, in each region and county, and compares trends between seasons. Data can be downloaded at Health Data NY. See Influenza Activity, Surveillance and Reports for access to the full weekly report. Visit www.health.ny.gov/FluMaskReg for information on the flu mask regulation and the current status of the Commissioner’s declaration.

Data Source:

Data is updated weekly on Friday by 5 pm. The data represents cases of influenza which meet a standardized case definition and are reported to the New York State Department of Health during influenza season. Weekly and season-to-date data are displayed for the current and previous three influenza seasons: 2022-23; 2021-22; 2020-21; 2019-20. For more information about this interactive visualization, please contact nysapd@health.ny.gov. For more details on data sources, definitions, and analysis methods, please see the Overview of the NYS Flu Tracker - Weekly.