Fever and cough on the rise, there is a respiratory virus alarm: an estimated 950 thousand new cases in a week in Italy. The expert: “Access to the emergency room is growing”

TRENTO. Frominfluenza al Covid. I am thousands of people are forced to stay at home con respiratory infections acute in the community.

I confirm it the data released by the Integrated Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità which show an increase in cases in the week of December 15th to 21st. (HERE IS THE FULL REPORT)

They were esteemed around 950 thousand new caseswith a total since the beginning of surveillance of approximately 5.8 million infections. The highest incidence is observed, as usual, in the 0-4 age group, with approximately 50 cases per 1,000 patients.

“The data shows us that we are approaching the peak of caseswhich probably will be touched upon in the coming weekswhere one awaits us sustained circulation of respiratory viruses as expected for the period” he explained The Examplewho heads the Infectious Diseases department of the ISS.

The intensity is very high in Veneto, the province of Bolzano, Marche and Campania, high in Sicily, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Lazio and Abruzzo, medium in Val d’Aosta, Lombardy, Tuscany and Puglia.

“Unfortunately, as reported by some Regions, this year too the number of cases has increased corresponds to an increase in the number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations, especially for older people. Especially in these days when opportunities for meeting and conviviality can favor the transmission of respiratory viruses – continues the expert – we remember that some simple precautions are useful to reduce the risk of contagion. From ventilation of rooms to hand washing to the so-called ‘respiratory etiquette’, which are also reported in the FAQ on influenza and other respiratory viruses that we published today”.

A situation that is also leading to an increase in hospital flow where there is a high positivity rate for influenza.

Sequencing analyzes underway since the beginning of surveillance highlight that among the influenza virus strains A H3N2 currently circulating in Italy is the K subclade is clearly prevalent, while among H1N1 pdm09 strainsall the strains group exclusively in the D.3.1 subclade within the broader 5a.2a.1 clade to which the vaccine strains also belong, as explained by the ISS.