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The flu epidemic is finally beginning its downward phase in the Region of Murcia after reaching its peak towards the end of January. In the last week, the incidence rate has fallen by 18.5%, to 191.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

 

Covid infections have also dropped over the last seven days, as have bronchitis and bronchiolitis, and as a whole, acute respiratory infections (ARI) in the Region of Murcia dipped by 10.45% between January 27 and February 2.

 

However, Enrique Bernal, an infectious disease specialist and head of Internal Medicine at Reina Sofía, warns that these figures should be interpreted with caution and don’t necessarily mean the end of the flu season. That’s because this year, both influenza B and the H1N1 and H3N2 flu A viruses have been circulating at the same time, so it’s quite possible that one of them could surge again.

 

In Spain overall, the incidence of flu rose by 11% in the week between January 20 and 26, so we’ll have to wait for the updated data from last week to see if the decrease experienced in the Region of Murcia is generalised in the rest of the country.

 

What we do know is that during the 2024-2025 flu season, the epidemic caused far fewer problems for the healthcare services in the Region than previous years. This drop in hospitalisations for flu and respiratory illnesses can be largely attributed to a high rate of vaccination among the general population, a preventative measure that the regional health authorities have been pushing for months.

 

 

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