Carlos Rubio
Madrid, January 26 (EFE) – The fatality rate of this season’s influenza is estimated at 6%, thus six times higher than in the recent past with covid-19, with a third more hospitalizations than before despite the influenza The health effects of the wave continue to recede and hospital admissions have slowed, but the impact of pneumonia continues.
The data, which comes from reports from the Surveillance System for Acute Respiratory Infections (SiVIRA) and statistics from the Carlos III Health Institute, concludes that the death toll is based on the proportion of people hospitalized with influenza in a given period. Time has gained strength again.
“In terms of severity, since the start of the season, 36% of cases hospitalized with influenza have developed pneumonia, 5% have been admitted to the ICU, and 6% have died. Compared to the previous season, 36% of cases hospitalized with influenza have developed pneumonia. Mortality rates were higher among cases of “influenza,” the report maintained.
The Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES) estimates that the mortality rate among hospitalized patients from influenza is between 2 and 3 percent, which is why you’re seeing preliminary data released by the Carlos Health Institute.
Although epidemiologists consulted by EFE said that after many years of health measures against the pandemic, the impact of the flu may be considered “expected”.
By comparison, the flu is now six times more lethal than covid-19, and when the first wave of COVID-19 subsided in March 2022, covid-19’s fatality rate began to decline until it reached less than 1%, for one reason is due to mixed immunity acquired through the vaccine and past infection and evolutionary factors of the virus.
According to the Sivira report, based on data from January 15 to 21, influenza activity declined across all communities, across all age groups, and across respiratory tract infections.
This resulted in the influenza hospitalization rate falling for the third consecutive week to 6.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants: from 11 the previous week and nearly 15 at the peak of the epidemic.
The Carlos III Health Institute warned that hospitalizations would fall by more than half since the end of December, although admissions among people over 79 remain high.
As for respiratory diseases as a whole, the incidence rate has also decreased – from 933 to 717 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and the hospital admission rate has also dropped to 21 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (versus 29 cases in the previous week).
surveillance system mortality rate(MoMo of the Carlos III Institute of Health found that Spain’s provisional data for January so far – that is, as of the end of this month – was overestimated in mortality rates from “all causes” compared with January last year.
So there have been about 2,000 more estimates so far this year compared to the same month last year, which largely coincides with the peak of the respiratory virus epidemic.
Along these lines, the Sivira report notes that EuroMOMO’s estimates of weekly excess mortality from all causes in Europe show that “overall, mortality rates are quite high in the over-45 age group”.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned weeks ago that European hospitals were being overburdened with care and having an impact on population health because of this season’s mix of influenza, covid-19 and bronchiolitis.
A few weeks ago, epidemiological records indicated that the spread of influenza this season was “very serious”. The provisional severity currently being confirmed is no more severe than the previous season, but the Carlos III Health Institute warned that the health ministry warned that it would be “very serious” for the population’s health. Significant impact”.
Regarding the impact of influenza, María del Mar Tomás, spokesperson of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC), and Juan González Delca, infection coordinator of the Semes Emergency Room Juan González del Castillo spoke to EFE and attributed it to the “multifactorial” nature of the flu.
They note that after years of the pandemic and protective measures, mixed immunity has declined, and flu vaccination rates have also declined this season.
Likewise, Thomas added, the antibodies produced by flu prophylaxis are themselves “somewhat less protective against strains of the virus that are already widespread.”
cjr/mcm
(Infographic)