Brazil is experiencing a rapid spread of respiratory illnesses, including influenza A and the common cold, ahead of the peak season for these diseases in the autumn and winter months. The alert comes from InfoGripe, a monitoring system operated by the Fiocruz Foundation (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation) to support Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS).
The autumn season officially began Friday, March 20th, but the warning is based on data from epidemiological week ten, covering the period of March 8th to March 14th. According to the latest bulletin, influenza A is driving an increase in Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SRAG) cases in the states of Mato Grosso and most of the Northeast – with the exception of Piauí – as well as in Amapá, Pará, and Rondônia in the North, and Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo in the Southeast.
As of Friday, March 20th, a total of 20,300 SRAG cases had been reported nationwide, with laboratory confirmation of a viral cause in 7,523 cases. According to InfoGripe, rhinovirus accounts for 41.9% of positive cases, influenza A for 21.8%, and COVID-19 for 14.7%.
The epidemiological bulletin from the Ministry of Health reports 865 deaths due to SRAG up to March 14th. Of these, 345 had laboratory confirmation of a respiratory virus. COVID-19 is the leading cause of death, accounting for 37% of confirmed cases, followed by influenza A at 28%.
A July 2025 report from InfoGripe noted a signal of a national decline in SRAG cases, but emphasized that numbers remained high in many states, linked to reductions in hospitalizations for influenza A and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). That report, covering epidemiological week 29 (July 13th to 19th), indicated that 63.2% of deaths with laboratory confirmation in the preceding four weeks were due to influenza A.
More recently, a December 2025 InfoGripe bulletin highlighted an increase in influenza A hospitalizations in parts of the North and Northeast – specifically Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Bahia, Piauí, and Ceará – as well as in Santa Catarina. Hospitalizations continued to decrease in the Southeast (São Paulo, Espírito Santo, and Rio de Janeiro), though at a slower pace in Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. Tatiana Portella, a researcher with Fiocruz and InfoGripe, stressed the importance of vaccination for at-risk groups in light of the rising hospitalizations.
The InfoGripe system, a partnership between Fiocruz, the Receiveúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV), and the Ministry of Health’s GT-Influenza, provides support to health surveillance agencies in identifying priority areas for action and response to public health events. The current data underscores the continued elevated incidence of SRAG, particularly among young children, where RSV is the primary identified virus.
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