Murcia flu epidemic finally starts to slow down
Respiratory infections in the Region of Murcia have dropped by 10% in a week
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.
Image: Freepik
Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox
Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)
OR
you can sign up to our FREE weekly roundup!
Read some of our recent bulletins:
25% Discount Special Offer subscription:
36.95€ for 48 Editor’s Weekly News Roundup bulletins!
Please CLICK THE BUTTON to subscribe.
(List price 3 months 12 Bulletins)
Read more stories from around Spain:
