Aragon is nearing the peak of the flu, with rates easing last week, increasing by less than 10%. In fact, in the second week of 2024, there were 334 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, an increase of only 31 percentage points compared to the first week of the year; according to the Ministry of Health of the Government of Aragon, this is almost the number of cases recorded worldwide in the last week of 2023 twice the rate (167 cases per 100,000 inhabitants).
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In Spain, the incidence curve started to fall last week, while in Aragon it is still rising and is expected to peak in the third week of the year.
As far as acute respiratory infections (influenza, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, pneumonia…) are concerned, the trend is very similar to that of influenza, which increased from 1,184 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last week of 2023 to 1,330 in the first week of 2024 people, which was 1,368 in the second week, so the increase has also slowed down.
This modest adjustment coincides with the one-week obligation to wear masks in health centers and the start of flu vaccinations for the general population this Monday, which had previously been reserved for high-risk groups. The Aragonese government has stressed in recent days the need for vaccinations to protect the most vulnerable. In fact, Aragonese President Jorge Azcon was vaccinated this morning.
Nuria Gayán, director of the Public Health Service of the Aragonese government, recently acknowledged that in terms of influenza immunization rates, only those over 80 years old “are the most compliant” because they are among the few One of the people who has received the flu vaccine. Reach 75% of the target population. Zaragoza is close to 80%; Teruel reaches 90% and Huesca 84%; the percentages decrease with age.
In the next range, from 75 to 79 years, Zaragoza does not reach 71%, Teruel is closer to 83% and Huesca is 73.4%. Only 57% of residents aged 65 to 74 in Zaragoza have been vaccinated, just 1 percentage point higher than those in Huesca, while the vaccination rate among Teruel residents is more than 65%.
Among people aged 60 to 63, the figure is just 30% in Zaragoza and Huesca, while in Teruel it is over 37%.
This year is the first time vaccinations are recommended for children aged 6 to 59 months, and the numbers are similar, differing only by two points. The proportion in Huesca is 39%, one less than Zaragoza and two less than Teruel, which reaches 41.4%.