Influenza has been dominating the health news since Christmas 2023. Last Thursday, data from the latest bulletin of the Surveillance System for Acute Respiratory Infections (Sivira) corresponding to the second week of January, published by the Carlos III Health Institute, showed that the virus consolidated its downward trend with a second consecutive week of decline.
Thus, in the last week analyzed, January 8-14, the global primary acute respiratory infection case rate remained stable at 926 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In terms of age, there was a slight decrease among young adults aged 15 to 64, and a slight increase among children between 1 and 14 years old. In hospitals, the global incidence rate fell from 35 to 28 cases per 100,000 in the second week of 2024. The report also mentioned that the epidemic will peak in the week of December 25.
But the flu is A virus that has a significant impact on the health of vulnerable populations, Health authorities therefore insist on vaccination.One of the most relevant scientific works on the analysis of the short-term impact of influenza on mortality was published in the journal New England Journal of Medicine In 2018, a link between the virus and the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) within the first seven days of infection was confirmed.The main conclusions of this work are, The incidence of AMI is 5-6 times higher in the first week after influenza infection (A or B; although the proportion of B is higher) No excessive risk was found compared to previous and subsequent years.
excessive mortality
Well, according to According to the latest All-Cause Daily Mortality Monitoring Report (Momo), a higher-than-expected 355 deaths were recorded in the week of January 10, compared with 1,482 in the week of January 17.That is, 1,000 more deaths in 7 days than expected during the peak of the flu. The infection itself can cause death from respiratory problems and dehydration in the most vulnerable people, but most deaths are due to complications from the disease.
Just a few days ago, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Javier Padillastressed in an interview that “we cannot normalize the fact that hundreds of people die from the flu, measures must be taken.” This year, these “measures” took shape only in a controversial decision to force health centers and Masks are used in hospitals. The order came into effect on January 10, but not much progress has been made yet given that half of the autonomous regions met the requirement to submit data on declining ARI incidence rates for two weeks in a row last week. Currently, Madrid and Castile and Leon have announced that they will switch from mandatory to recommended this week.
But what other steps can be taken to avoid this excess mortality?
Low vaccination coverage
There is no doubt that vaccination of vulnerable groups is most important because Helps prevent serious illness and reduces the risk of hospitalization and death. However, the reality is that according to the “Grip Meter: Vaccination Coverage 2023 Season-2024” report, influenza vaccine coverage among people aged 60-64 years decreased by 2.5% this season compared with the previous year, reported by Sanofi promotion. Despite extending vaccination recommendations to all people over 60 years old in the AC region and recognizing this age group as a risk group, coverage in this group remains at 35%. Among people over 65, the figure is less than 60%.
persistent influenza
As research into the effects of respiratory illness grows amid the coronavirus pandemic, the good news is that we now know more about influenza than we did four years ago. For example, we know that this infection can also have long-term negative effects – similar to persistent COVID – particularly on the lungs and respiratory tract.According to the University of Washington School of Medicine and more than 90,000 patients hospitalized with seasonal influenza or COVID-19 followed for a year and a halfthese people are at higher risk of death, readmission to the hospital, and health problems with many organs. heThe peak risk for both conditions occurs 30 days after initial infection.
The study was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases More than a month ago, the high mortality and health toll following hospitalization due to coronavirus or seasonal influenza was demonstrated. “It’s important to note that health risks are greatest 30 days after infection. Many people think they are over COVID-19 or the flu after leaving hospital. That may be true for some people, but our research shows the virus can cause long-term illness, ” said lead author Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist at the University of Washington.