The flu continues to hit Spain hard, with incidence continuing to rise and hospitalizations increasing among groups most at risk, particularly people over 80 and young children. This is reflected in the report of the Surveillance System for Acute Respiratory Infections (SiVIRA) published on Thursday, which estimates an incidence of 446.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants according to surveillance in primary care centers, which represents an increase of almost 50% compared to the previous week and a strong pressure on the health system.
The report collects data up to last Sunday the 14th. However, in recent times, autonomous communities and hospitals have begun to collect data that suggests that this year’s wave – particularly intense due to a new variant of the virus since it took place about a month earlier than usual – is approaching its peak, although there are still a few days to confirm the change in trend.
The increase recorded between December 8 and 14 included in the report is also noticeable in hospitals, where admissions increased by 17% to 9 per 100,000 inhabitants. This rate among those over 80 rises to 56.2 cases and remains at 48.8 among those under one year old.
If we take into account all acute respiratory infections monitored – flu, covid and respiratory syncytial virus – the report from the Carlos III Health Institute reveals a decrease, with an estimated incidence which fell from 845 cases per 100,000 inhabitants to 809 in one week.
The flu increased between December 8 and 14 in all age groups, except among those between 5 and 19 years old, in whom it has already started a slight decline. The most affected are children under one year old, who increase the incidence up to 2,139, followed by children aged 1 to 4 years, who have a rate of 1,596.
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