​72,734 cases of respiratory infections (clinical influenza, IACRS and pneumonia) were registered in the last week in Romania, which is 29.3% less cases compared to the same week of the previous season (102,884), but 35% more cases compared to previous week (53,870). Of these, 4168 are cases of influenza, more than a quarter of them – 1196 – in Bucharest.

Evolution of acute respiratory infections, influenza and severe acute respiratory infections (SARS) in the 2023-2024 season – week of January 1, 2024 – January 7, 2024 – source: National Institute of Public Health:

For the week of 01/01/2024 – 01/07/2024 (S01/2024), it was reported:

• 72,734 cases of respiratory infections (clinical influenza, IACRS and pneumonia), which is 29.3% less compared to the same week of the previous season (102,884) and 35.0% more cases compared to the previous week (53,870).

• 4,168 cases of clinical influenza nationwide compared to 4,629 cases in the same week last season and 3,296 the previous week.

37 districts reported cases of clinical influenzathe most in the municipality of Bucharest (1,196) and in the districts of Prahova (332), Constanta (292), Timișoara (255), Cluj (236) and Galati (206):

• 25 cases of severe acute respiratory infections (SRI), which is 10 more than last week and 31 less than in the same period last season.

• 167 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza (32 – AN1 influenza virus, 10 – AN3 influenza virus, 123 – non-subtyped A virus, and 2 – influenza B virus).

Since the beginning of the season, 521 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza have been registered, including:

• 81 cases of influenza virus AH1

• 53 cases of influenza AH3 virus

• 9 cases of influenza B virus

• 378 cases of non-subtype influenza A virus

• 12 co-infections of influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2

• 7 co-infections of influenza virus and RSV

• 3 co-infection of influenza virus SARS-CoV-2 and RSV

They were currently communicating 16 confirmed deaths from the flu virus: 10 type A, subtype H1, 3 type A, subtype H3 and 3 type A, without subtype (including 1 co-infection with SARS-CoV-2).

16 deaths were recorded in the following age groups:

• 2 15-49 years old

• 4 in 50-64 years

• 10 aged ≥65 years

As of July 1, 2024, 1,048,327 people vaccinated against influenza were registered in the National Electronic Register of Vaccinations (RENV), of which 1,024,812 were from population groups that are on the compensated regime.

Rafila: There are still fewer patients with the flu than last year

Health Minister Alexandru Rafila says there are still fewer flu cases than last year and it’s important that everyone understands that seeing a family doctor is a priority and only people with more serious cases should go to emergency rooms or concomitant diseases.

“There are still fewer cases than last year, it is important that everyone understands that going to the family doctor is a priority, to trauma centers and trauma centers only for people who have more complex cases who have co-morbidities, especially because of the long wait. it’s not indicated in emergency rooms, and if it’s mild or moderate, obviously the wait will be longer, because in the first stage, people who have serious cases, not necessarily the flu, are consulted and evaluated, but there can be other types of pathologies.” , Rafila said on Thursday, as quoted by News.ro.

Alexandru Rafila also says that the situation is everywhere in Europe: “I also saw a similar situation in France, there is overcrowding, at the level of emergency departments, but our instruction is to go to the family doctor and the drugs that are administered in case of respiratory viruses should be recommended by a doctor, avoid antibiotics, as they are not useful for the treatment of respiratory viruses.”

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