Decreasing influenza trend in Romania in week ending March 10

Influenza trend in Romania in the week ending March 10 March was decreasing, with geographical spread contained to the central part of the country, and localised as well as sporadic infection reported elsewhere, according to information released by the National Centre of Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control with the National Institute of Public Health. The total number of cases of acute respiratory infection (clinical influenza, upper respiratory tract infection and pneumonia) recorded nationwide was 90,388, down 22.6 percent from the same week of the previous season (116,846) and 3.7 from the previous week (93,893). At the same time, there were 1,175 cases of national clinical influenza. Also during this interval, 27 cases of severe acute respiratory infections were reported, eight less than in the previous week and 12 less than in the same period of the previous season. "From the beginning of the 2018-2019 season, there have been 173 confirmed influenza virus deaths, having been confirmed 133 type A, subtype (H1) pdm09 influenza viruses; 19 type A, subtype H3 viruses; 20 unsubtyped A and 1 coinfection with A (H1 ) pdm09 and AH3, versus 129 in the whole previous season, of which 63 A virus influenza, subtype (H1) pdm09, 2 AH3s, 4 unsubtyped A and 60 B virus influenza," according to the official reports. As of March 10, 1,326,295 people at risk have been immunised against influenza using the vaccines distributed by the Ministry of Health. AGERPRES (RO - author: Roberto Stan, Editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)