Valencian Community Sees Rise โฃin fluโ and COVID-19 Cases, Exceeding 2024 Levels
Valencia, Spain -โข Theโ Valencian Community is bracing for a Decemberโข with increased โrates of influenzaโฃ and COVID-19 infections, โsurpassing figures โฃrecorded during the same period last year. Health officials report a growing โtrendโค in acute respiratory infections (ARI),โ driven by increasedโ social gatherings and a โpredominant strain of influenza A.
Current monitoring data reveals an ARI rate of 787.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in โขthe Valencian Community,compared to 710 cases per 100,000โ inhabitants in 2024.โ This figureโฃ also exceeds the Spanish averageโค of โฃ479 cases โperโ 100,000.Incidence of mild ARI โrose โฃfrom 739.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in week โ46 to 787.8 โin week 47.
The Ministry โฃof healthโ confirms the region is โcurrently in a “low-level epidemic โsituation.” All age groups areโ experiencing โขincreases, with the highest rate observed โคinโข children under 5 years โขold, โatโฃ 3,434.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Influenza incidence โhas climbed to 44.1 โcases per โ100,000 inhabitants, with subtype A being the dominant strain. While โคCOVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) rates remain โขlower, they are present at 13.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants each.
Severe ARI cases reached โ12.8 โฃperโ 100,000 inhabitants in week 47, a slight โคbut sustained increase mirroring levels seen in the sameโฃ week of 2024 (12.3 cases per โฃ100,000). Theโข increase in โคsevere cases โis concentrated among those aged 65 and over, and thoseโ under 5, with individuals 80+ experiencing an incidence of 85.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Within severe cases,โ influenza incidence isโ 2.6โฃ cases per 100,000 inhabitants โข- an earlier โคrise than observed last year. โCOVID-19 incidenceโฃ in severe cases has decreased toโ 0.2 โคper 100,000, while RSV shows a slight increase to 0.9 per 100,000.
The Ministry of Health continues weekly monitoring of ARI throughout the Valencian Community to โtrack the evolution of these โinfections.
