Influenza, what will it be like this year? What the data from abroad say

Vaccination campaigns against influenza are starting throughout Italy, with priority given to the most at-risk categories. Meanwhile, the first international data provide a contrasting picture: the United States and the United Kingdom are recording signs of growth, while in the rest of Europe the circulation of viruses remains limited. Available tests indicate a prevalence of influenza A viruses

Influenza vaccination is at the starting line. The Regions in no particular order are starting vaccination campaigns, almost all first favoring the categories at greatest risk, such as the elderly, and then extending immunization to the rest of the population. Tuscany, Veneto and Lazio officially started this week. Monday starts in Emilia Romagna, Sicily, Lombardy, Calabria, Campania. Meanwhile, the first cases of flu-like syndromes are starting to appear in family doctors' surgeries, even if for the moment there are no alarm signs in Italy. And we await the start of the seasonal surveillance system.

From the United States to the United Kingdom, the first signs of an increase in cases

Contrasting trends, however, come from abroad. In recent days, the journal Nature reported an anomalous increase in flu cases in the United States, which could herald an early start to the season. The latest data from Britain's Health Security Agency, published yesterday, also shows an increase in flu activity in the UK, with 6.5% of samples analyzed by laboratories testing positive for flu viruses.

In the rest of Europe the levels are still typical of the period

In the rest of Europe, however, for the moment nothing unusual is noticeable: reports are growing, but without sudden accelerations, as shown by the European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (Erviss), the platform on which the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Office of the WHO share data on influenza and other respiratory diseases in Europe. “The number of patients attending primary care with symptoms of respiratory diseases, including acute respiratory infections, remains predominantly at low or background levels in EU and European Economic Area countries,” it says. “However, rates are increasing in most countries.” The data changes depending on the detection system, but in almost all countries the activity of flu or respiratory syndromes is at levels typical of the pre-flu period.

What viruses are circulating? Initial tests indicate the prevalence of family A

As regards viruses, the first tests indicate a prevalence of those belonging to family A, at the moment without significant differences between H1 and H3 types. However, it is early to make predictions: the samples are still few and only come from a small number of countries.

In Italy, the green light for RespiVirNet surveillance is awaited

Speaking of data, in Italy the last steps are missing to give the green light to the usual seasonal surveillance carried out by the RespiVirNet system of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. At the end of the last flu season, the Regions and autonomous Provinces had interrupted the transmission of data to the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, explaining the choice with the need to comply with regulations in line with the privacy law. We are now waiting for a circular from the ministry that will resolve the situation.