2024-01-26 17:51:00
In Italy the flu strikes less, but it doesn’t let up, and among children under 5 there is a slight increase in cases. This is what emerges from the RespiVirNet surveillance bulletins published today by the Higher Institute of Health, which for the week from 15 to 21 January still report “approximately 685,000 estimated cases of flu-like syndrome, compared to the entire Italian population, for a total of approximately 9,482,000 cases since the start of surveillance”.
In the last 7 days monitored, “the number of cases of flu-like syndromes is still sharply decreasing”, we read, but the incidence “remains high. In the third week of 2024 it is at 11.6 cases per thousand assisted, while in the previous week it was 14.4 (data updated following notification delays)”, after reaching the peak in the last week of 2023 with 18.5 cases per thousand assisted. “The proportion of flu-positive samples out of the total samples analyzed also dropped further (18.6% vs 31.2%)”.
“The incidence is decreasing in all age groups – continues the report – except in children under 5 years of age where it is slightly increasing with a value of 31.6 cases per thousand assisted (30.8 in the previous week) “. In the 5-14 age group the incidence is 12 cases per thousand, in the 15-64 age group it is 11.5/thousand and among the over 65s it is 6.6/thousand. At a regional level, “all the autonomous Regions/Provinces among those that have activated surveillance”, which are all except Valle d’Aosta and Calabria, “record an incidence level of flu-like syndromes above the baseline threshold. Abruzzo and Campania the most affected regions”.
“The number of flu-like syndromes – recalls the ISS – is supported not only by influenza viruses, but also by other respiratory viruses including the respiratory syncytial virus” Rsv “in very young children, and the Sars-CoV- 2”.
Among influenza viruses, “type A viruses are largely prevalent (99%) compared to type B viruses and mostly belong to the H1N1pdm09 subtype”, is confirmed in the bulletins. “Among the samples tested positive since the beginning of the season, 26% are positive for Sars-CoV-2, 11% for Rsv, 42% for influenza A, 9% for Rhinovirus, while the remainder tested positive for other respiratory viruses”.
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