BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — Flu activity is moving in the wrong direction across South Florida, and the state’s latest surveillance snapshot, which is weeks behind, still puts numbers to what a lot of people have been feeling for weeks.
In its Florida Flu Review for Week 50 — Dec. 7 through Dec. 13 — the Florida Department of Health flags an increase in flu emergency department visits and an increase in flu test positivity, both measured against the prior three-week average. The situation lasted for more than one day. An alarming rise.
The report also lists five new flu outbreaks statewide in the most recent week, including one in Broward County. The state of Florida requires outbreak reporting which county health departments use to monitor their areas so Broward County’s appearance on this list holds significance. It’s not based on vibes or social media posts.
State health officials also identify the current predominant strain as Influenza A (H3). That’s the virus type leading Florida’s season right now, according to the Week 50 review.
The Florida report presents a statewide map which displays county-level flu and influenza-like illness activity trends showing most of the state has “increasing” activity. The report presents emergency department visit patterns by region and shows that Southeast Florida experienced rising numbers of patients with flu-related visits at its emergency departments.
The Florida report monitors activities through three different surveillance methods which include emergency department visit patterns and ESSENCE-FL participating urgent care centers and state-based laboratory reporting systems. The report indicates that the data remains provisional while it undergoes changes which will affect the results. The Week 50 data shows a specific trend which becomes evident in the report.
The state has created distinct rules which specify when to disclose personal information and what procedures to follow for reporting disease outbreaks. Individual influenza cases are generally not reportable in Florida — with exceptions like novel influenza A and flu-associated pediatric deaths — but outbreaks are. That outbreak tracking is built around setting-based definitions, including schools and child care facilities, long-term care facilities, and other settings where people are clustered.
The Week 50 report also reflects how Florida’s flu season patterns have been evolving the last few years. The state reports that outbreak numbers have returned to normal levels since the start of the 2023–24 season while the 2024–25 season reached its peak at a different time than previous seasons which shows pre-2020 like patterns.
The current situation requires attention because Week 50 demonstrates increasing growth instead of stabilizing at a constant level. As South Florida hits the post-holiday stretch and schools settle back in, the state is essentially saying: flu season is underway, and activity is increasing.
For residents trying to figure out what “increasing” means in practice, the report’s trend language is specific. “Increasing” in the Florida Flu Review is not just week-over-week; it’s when the current week’s value is more than 0.1% higher than the previous three-week average for emergency department visits and lab positivity. The state has established this standard as its reference point.
The report also includes a standard advisory that CDC recommends antiviral treatment be started as soon as possible for people with confirmed or suspected flu who are at higher risk of complications, including very young children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with underlying medical conditions, ideally within 48 hours of symptom onset. The study shows that yearly vaccination remains the best protection against severe complications because it needs two weeks for the vaccine to achieve its peak defensive power.
The upcoming Florida report will determine if Week 50 marked the beginning of an ongoing increase in cases or it represented the initial difficult rise in numbers. But with ER visits and positivity already rising — and a Broward outbreak now on the books — South Florida is heading into January with flu activity trending up, not down.
Sources: Florida Department of Health, CDC
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