In Italy “the incidence of flu-like syndromes is decreasing, but remains high”. In the second week of 2024″, from January 8 to 14, “the incidence is 14.1 cases per thousand assistedwhile in the previous week the peak was reached with 17.1, an updated figure compared to that released last week following notification delays”. This is what emerges from the RespiVirNet surveillance bulletins, published today by the Higher Institute of Health “The proportion of flu-positive samples out of the total samples analyzed also decreased (29.6% versus 37.4%).”
In the period considered, we read, “the estimated cases of flu-like syndrome, compared to the entire Italian population, are approximately 828,000, for a total of approximately 8,672,000 cases since the start of surveillance“.
The record peak of the incidence – the highest point of the season, but also of past ones – was reached “in the last week of 2023 with a value equal to 18.5 cases per thousand assisted”, which dropped to 17.1 per thousand in the first week of 2024 and now at 14.1/thousand. “The incidence is decreasing in all age groups,” the report continues. “Children under the age of 5 are most affected, where the incidence is equal to 31.7 cases per thousand assisted (34.9 in the previous week)”. In the 5-14 age group the incidence is 13.32 cases per thousand, in the 15-64 age group it is 14.55/thousand and among the over 65s it is 8.69/thousand. At a regional level, “all the autonomous Regions/Provinces among those that have activated surveillance”, which are all except Valle d'Aosta and Calabria, “record an incidence level of flu-like syndromes above the baseline threshold. In the PA of Bolzano the 'very high' intensity threshold of the incidence has been reached”.
“The number of flu-like syndromes – recalls the ISS – is supported not only by influenza viruses, but also by other respiratory viruses including the respiratory syncytial virus” Rsv “in very young children, and the Sars-CoV- 2”. Among influenza viruses, “type A viruses are largely prevalent (99%) compared to type B viruses and mostly belong to the H1N1pdm09 subtype”, is confirmed in the bulletins. “Among the samples tested positive since the beginning of the season, 17% were positive for Sars-CoV-2, 12% for Rsv, 48% for influenza A, 10% for Rhinovirus, while the remainder tested positive for other respiratory viruses”.
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