Most British expats in Mallorca and across Spain will have probably returned from the UK if they went home for the festive season. However, those planning on travelling to the UK over the coming weeks are being warned of a serious flu alert as the number of cases in the Balearics is also on the rise. The fierce virus is rapidly spreading quickly across England, with people with certain symptoms being told to self-isolate.
According to the latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), cases have surged by approximately 47% in the first fortnight of 2026, it was reported today. According to the Daily Express in response to this spike, the UKHSA has reiterated the importance of good hygiene practices to curb further spread of the virus.Norovirus cases are predominantly reported among those aged 65 and over, and while activity remains within expected levels, hospital outbreaks are on the rise.
The UKHSA’s recent surveillance data also indicates a decline in flu, COVID-19, and RSV levels in the initial week of the year. The incidence of influenza in the Balearics registered a slight increase in the second week of the year, with an incidence of 73.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants during this period, compared to 70.3 infections in the previous week.
This level of infection keeps the autonomous community in a low-intensity epidemic phase, the Regional Ministry of Health reported on Thursday. However, acute respiratory infections (ARIs) caused by all types of viruses, not exclusively by the seasonal flu pathogen, are on the rise. Among the general population, these infections have reached 588.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 493.1 in the previous week.
According to the Department of Health, they are growing even more among people over the age of 60, a segment of the population in which the incidence of these infections stood at 760.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the second week of 2026, compared to 609.4 in the first week, an increase of 24.7%.
The Regional Committee on Infectious Diseases has detailed that the influenza virus that is currently circulating the most is AH3N2, which may be more contagious because the immune system does not identify it as easily, but which generally does not cause a more serious illness than other strains of influenza.
Likewise, there has been a decrease in the incidence of severe acute respiratory infections to 16.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 25.2 cases in the previous period. On Monday, the Health Service activated 34 beds at the Verge de la Salut hospital to respond to the increase in admissions for respiratory infections, a measure that is included in the Winter Plan to respond to the increase in healthcare activity, while the Son Espases University Hospital activated 24 beds last week.
The activation of these 58 beds has required the incorporation of fifty professionals to care for them, specifically 19 nurses, 18 nursing assistants, seven orderlies, four kitchen assistants, one cleaner and three additional doctors.