Health authorities find more than 5,066 deaths during peak flu season

Madrid, February 8 (EFE) – Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and coronavirus infections continue to decline in primary care and hospitals, according to a report by the Surveillance System for Acute Respiratory Infections (SiVIRA), which has detected more than 5,066 deaths. However, the reason coincides with the peak of the epidemic at the end of December and the third week of January.

A report released this Thursday by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) confirms that influenza has been on a downward trend for the fifth consecutive week after reaching the peak of the epidemic in the last week of 2023 (December 25-31), while the number of influenza hospitalizations has It fell for the fifth consecutive week. The incidence rate fell for the third consecutive week to 1.8 cases per 100,000 people, down from 3.6 cases the previous week.

Hospitalizations due to influenza have decreased in all age groups, with the highest hospitalization rates among those over 80 years of age. In terms of severity, the mortality rate among hospitalized flu cases was 6.3%. “Lethality rates observed among hospitalizations due to influenza were higher than in the previous season,” the report said.

In terms of the global incidence of acute respiratory tract infections at the primary care country level, the rate fell to 554.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (compared to 589.9 cases in the previous week), a far cry from the 969.6 cases in the last week of 2023 during the influenza outbreak. reach the peak.

By age group, the highest incidence rate is among children under one year old (3,143 cases per 100,000 people), followed by children aged 1-4 years (2,020.9 cases per 100,000 people).

The global hospitalization rate for acute respiratory tract infections fell to 13.9 per 100,000 cases (a decrease of 3 percentage points from the previous week). By age group, those most affected are those over 80 years old (87.1 cases per 100,000 people), followed by those under 1 year old (83.8 cases per 100,000 people).

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is trending downward in all age groups except those aged 5-14 years. In terms of severity, the mortality rate was 3.1%, a similar range to previous seasons.Effie

BF/JDM