The current winter is the heaviest in the last 15 years for influenza and other respiratory infections. This was noted in a press release by the Association of Italian Clinical Microbiologists. According to data communicated to the Italian surveillance system for influenza-like syndromes RespiVirNet, due to changes in meteorological conditions and the simultaneous circulation of various pathogens, the incidence in Italy has reached a high level of intensity in the last two weeks, with 17.5 cases per thousand assisted.
“We are witnessing the heaviest winter season in the last 15 years, with a considerable impact especially on children and the vulnerable population”, observes Pierangelo Clerici, president of Amcli Ets. “Several respiratory viruses, including influenza viruses, in particular the A/H1N1pdm09 viral subtype, and then the SarsCoV2 virus with the variant of interest JN.1, daughter of the Pirola variant, and again the respiratory syncytial virus, are contributing to these numbers and to put assistance systems under pressure”.
For virologist Antonio Piralla, of the San Matteo Polyclinic in Pavia and coordinator of the Amcli working group on respiratory viral infections, “in reality it is a normal phenomenon for this period of the year. The cold temperatures favor the circulation of respiratory viruses in capable of causing clinical pictures that overlap with those of influenza infection and which are transmitted in the same way”.
In particular, the analyzes carried out at the regional reference center for microbiological emergencies of the Policlinico S. Orsola in Bologna indicate that the strains of Influenza A H1N1 currently circulating are phylogenetically correlated with the current vaccine strain A/Victoria/4897/ 2022 (Northern Hemisphere). “In the post-pandemic phase, respiratory viruses have resumed their circulation until reaching the current season, where influenza viruses have returned to 2019 levels”, says Elena Pariani, epidemiologist-virologist at the State University of Milan and secretary of the Amcli working group on respiratory viral infections. “The low participation in the anti-flu and anti-Covid19 vaccination campaign – he concludes – has contributed to defining the current epidemiological scenario”.
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