The National Institute of Public Health (INSP) announced on Friday an increase in the number of deaths caused by the flu in Romania. Eight new deaths were registered in the last week, and so far a total of 11 deaths have been confirmed, most of them – nine – in people over 65 years old.
Although fewer cases of respiratory infections were reported this week compared to the previous week, they exceed by more than a third the number recorded in the same period last season, INSP data show. Most cases were registered in Bucharest and in the counties of Cluj, Constanța and Prahova, reports News.ro.
Between December 29, 2025 and January 4, 2026, 61,016 cases of respiratory infections (clinical flu, IACRS and pneumonia) were reported, 13.1% less than the previous week (70,243), but 36.9% more compared to the same week of the previous season (44,554). The variation compared to the average of the last seasons (2018-2025, excluding the pandemic seasons), calculated on 64,342 cases, was -5.2%.
According to INSP, 10,570 cases of clinical influenza were reported nationwide, compared to 12,630 in the previous week (under-reporting in the context of the holidays), 2.2 times more than the same week last season (4,694) and 3.8 times more than the average of the last five seasons (2,778). The most cases were reported in Bucharest (1,283) and in the counties of Cluj (688), Constanța (688) and Prahova (550).
In the last week, 44 cases of severe acute respiratory infections (SARS), one less than the previous week, and 174 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza were registered. Of these, 35 were with AH3 influenza virus, 5 with AH1 virus, 132 with non-subtyped A virus, 1 with B virus and 1 A+B co-infection.
“Since the beginning of the season, 572 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza have been reported, of which 221 with the AH3 influenza virus, 30 with the AH1 virus, 316 cases with influenza A virus non-subtyped, 4 cases with influenza B virus and one case with influenza A+B co-infection. In all confirmed cases with AH3 influenza virus, with samples sequenced in INCDMM Cantacuzino, subclade K was detected“, states INSP.
The elderly, the most vulnerable
INSP points out that the elderly are the most at risk: of the 11 deaths confirmed so far, nine were registered in people over 65 years old.
Until January 4, 2026, 1,273,616 flu vaccinations were registered in the National Electronic Register of Vaccinations (RENV), of which 1,247,864 were for the population groups benefiting from settlement, and 5,974 were carried out in authorized community pharmacies, the INSP also states.
