We are in the midst of a flurry of respiratory infections, and specialists are announcing an increase in the number of illnesses from one week to the next.
The flu vaccine protects us from getting sick. Source: archive
According to the latest data provided by the National Institute of Public Health, over 93,000 cases of illness were registered in the week of November 11-17. Specialists observe a 14.6% increase in the number of cases compared to the previous week. But the flu is also starting to give us a headache, because in the same interval 220 cases of clinical flu and one laboratory-confirmed case of influenza type B virus were detected.
According to the report made by the National Center for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases within the INSP, in the week of November 11-17, 93,605 cases of respiratory infections (clinical flu, viruses and pneumonia) were reported, registering 18.3% more cases compared to the same week of the previous season (79,117) and 14.6% more cases compared to the previous week (81,671). The variation in addition to the calculated average of 86,830 cases in the previous 5 seasons (without the pandemic seasons) was 7.8%.
At the same time, 220 cases of clinical flu were reported nationally, compared to 125 cases in the same week of the previous season and 212 registered in the previous week.
No confirmed deaths
“In the week of 11.11.2024 – 17.11.2024, the surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections began. 4 cases were registered, 2 more than the same period of the previous season”, the report shows. A case of laboratory-confirmed influenza with influenza type B virus was also reported.
“Since the beginning of the season, 12 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza have been reported, of which 9 cases with influenza B virus, two cases with non-subtyped influenza A virus and one case with AH3 influenza virus.” Fortunately, no confirmed flu virus deaths have been reported to date.
“Until 17.11.2024, a number of 958,109 people were registered in the National Electronic Register of Vaccinations (RENV) flu shots, of which 942,560 from the population groups that benefit from settlement under the compensated regime”, he writes in the report.
