Flu Activity in Hawaii: March 2026 Update

Flu in Hawaii: What’s Different About the Islands

Hawaii has a unique flu pattern compared to the mainland United States. While most states see flu peak in winter (December-February), Hawaii can experience flu activity year-round due to its tropical climate and heavy international tourism from Asia-Pacific countries where flu circulates on a different seasonal calendar.

See the latest data on the Hawaii flu activity page.

Current Flu Activity

As of late March 2026, Hawaii’s flu levels are being tracked by the CDC’s ILINet surveillance network. Because Hawaii has a smaller reporting population than mainland states, week-to-week numbers can be more variable.

Check our Hawaii flu dashboard for the current ILI rate, trend chart, and comparison to the national average.

Why Hawaii’s Flu Season Is Different

Several factors make Hawaii’s flu epidemiology unique:

Year-round circulation. Unlike mainland states where flu drops to near-zero in summer, Hawaii sees low-level flu activity throughout the year.
Tourism exposure. Millions of visitors from Japan, Australia, and other Asia-Pacific countries bring flu strains that may differ from what’s circulating on the mainland.
Multiple peaks. Hawaii sometimes sees a smaller summer peak in addition to the winter peak.
Island variation. Flu activity can differ between the major islands based on local population density and tourism patterns.

Other Health Data for Hawaii

Hawaii RSV activity — RSV hospitalizations
Hawaii COVID-19 activity — ER visit data
Hawaii measles cases — Case tracking
Hawaii MMR vaccination rate — Coverage data
What’s going around in Hawaii? — Full health dashboard

About This Data

Hawaii flu data comes from the CDC’s ILINet surveillance network. Due to Hawaii’s smaller population and unique geography, flu data may show more week-to-week variability than larger mainland states. See our methods page for details on how we process this data.

Updated weekly. See the Hawaii flu dashboard for current numbers.