Flu season in Romania
Current flu, COVID-19 and RSV activity in Romania — based on ECDC ERVISS weekly data from the National Institute of Public Health (INSP). Rescaled into a consultation-equivalent signal for a qualitative low / moderate / high classification.
Current situation: Influenza
In week 15 of 2026, activity of influenza (seasonal flu) in Romania is low. The trend — derived from clinical surveillance — is falling. Over a four-week comparison, a clear decline is visible.
The classification is based on the ECDC ERVISS weekly reports, drawing on data from the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) via the ARI sentinel surveillance programme. Seasonally, infection waves in Romania typically peak between January and March; activity is usually markedly lower during the summer months. How severe a given season becomes depends on the circulating virus variant and the population's immune status, among other factors.
Data sources and methodology
The current picture for Romania is built on the European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS), published weekly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) via the ARI sentinel surveillance programme is the national public-health authority that feeds ERVISS with sentinel primary care and virology data.
ECDC ERVISS
ERVISS is ECDC's weekly pan-European surveillance summary for influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV. National authorities — in Romania's case the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) via the ARI sentinel surveillance programme — submit harmonised indicators every week, which ECDC publishes in a standardised dataset on Thursdays. Using ERVISS rather than each country's native portal ensures cross-country comparability.
ILI / ARI consultation rates and positivity
the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) via the ARI sentinel surveillance programme operates a sentinel network of general practices that report weekly rates of patients consulting for influenza-like illness (ILI) or acute respiratory infection (ARI). A subset of patients is swabbed and tested by reference laboratories, producing pathogen-specific positivity rates for flu, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV.
Why this source
Combining consultation incidence with virological positivity yields a pathogen-specific weekly incidence signal (ILI × positivity / 100). This is the standard European methodology and provides a more robust view than either indicator alone — consultation rates capture illness burden, positivity confirms which pathogen is driving it.
Qualitative classification
The “low”, “moderate” and “high” categories follow seasonal reference values and epidemiological thresholds calibrated to match our classifications for other countries. The ILI × positivity / 100 product is scaled to comparable thresholds using a divisor of 3, which aligns European sentinel peaks with the consultation-equivalent scale used elsewhere. Data refreshes weekly when ECDC publishes the latest ERVISS update, typically on Thursdays.
Frequently asked questions
When is flu season in Romania?
Romanian flu activity usually begins rising in late December, peaks between January and March, and tails off by April. The precise window shifts year to year with the dominant influenza subtypes and residual immunity. INSP — the National Institute of Public Health (Institutul Național de Sănătate Publică) — publishes weekly influenza updates through its ARI sentinel surveillance programme. Eastern European winters produce peaks broadly similar in timing to neighbouring countries.
How does INSP classify flu severity?
INSP describes influenza activity using qualitative phases — baseline, pre-epidemic, epidemic, and post-epidemic — based on ARI consultation rates, laboratory positivity, and hospital indicators. These classifications appear in the weekly respiratory-virus bulletin and are also reported to ECDC for the European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS). The qualitative framing helps clinicians and the public interpret whether pressure on health services is ordinary, elevated, or exceptional.
How is flu surveillance organised in Romania?
Romania's influenza surveillance combines an ARI sentinel programme run through primary-care physicians, virological confirmation at INSP's Cantacuzino National Institute for Medico-Military Research and at regional laboratories, and hospital notifications of severe cases. Weekly bulletins integrate these indicators and feed ECDC ERVISS, which places Romania's trajectory alongside Hungary, Bulgaria, and the rest of the EU/EEA.
Is the flu vaccine free in Romania?
Romania offers free seasonal influenza vaccination to priority groups defined by the Ministry of Health, including adults aged 65 and above, pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses, residents of long-term-care facilities, and healthcare workers. Vaccines are delivered through family doctors and public vaccination points. INSP reports vaccine-uptake estimates alongside the weekly surveillance bulletin.
How does Romania compare to its Eastern European neighbours?
Because Romania reports into ECDC ERVISS with harmonised indicators, its weekly flu classification is directly comparable with Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, and the rest of the EU/EEA. Eastern European countries typically see broadly similar peak windows between January and March, with timing variation driven by school calendars and travel patterns. ECDC's side-by-side dashboards make these cross-country comparisons easy to read.
Want the actual numbers?
You'll find them in the app.
Here you only see the trend. In the app: exact incidence rates, “X out of 100 people infectious”, your personal risk based on age and pre-existing conditions, wastewater trends, 36 countries, home-screen widget.
