MADRID – The influenza epidemic has started in Spain. The monitoring organisation reported the first flu cases in several Spanish regions in early December. Flu in children under the age of 4 appears to be more than three times more common than in any other age groups.
With the corona pandemic that continues to ravage the world, you would almost forget that the common flu still exists. It is now a fact the flu season has started in Spain. The first influenza cases were recently registered by the SVGE. This is the organisation that has been keeping track of all flu cases in Spain for years.
Flu cases among young children more than three times higher
According to the organisation’s most recent report, in late November and early December, an average of 417 out of every 100,000 people in Spain had the flu. This number is almost the same as the same week in 2021. Most flu cases were registered in the age group from 0 to 4 years with 1,462 cases per 100,000 people.
Which regions in Spain report influenza cases?
Like the coronavirus, the flu is more prevalent in some regions than others. For example, the first cases of acute respiratory infections in primary care were reported in the regions of Andalucia, Catalonia, Melilla, and La Rioja.
Meanwhile, primary care centres in Aragon, the Balearic Islands, Castile and Leon, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia, and La Rioja have also reported multiple cases of influenza.
Flu vaccination campaign to start in Spain in November
About a month and a half ago, Spain already started inviting people over 60 and healthcare staff in Spain for the flu shot. The flu shot is offered every fall to protect society’s most vulnerable people from severe symptoms of the flu.
Falling number of flu deaths since Covid-19
However, in recent years, the number of people dying from the flu has fallen. In 2019, 1,459 people still died from the flu, in 2020 that number fell to 883. This decrease is largely due to Covid-19. As is now known, mainly older and vulnerable people die from Covid-19. The same target group is mainly affected by the flu every year.
