Flu cases in the Balearics rise after two years of Covid

The Spanish Influenza Surveillance System in Spain says that the incidence of flu in the Balearics is still low compared with what it was pre-pandemic, but there are still five weeks before the surveillance period ends. Dr. Fernando Barturen of Son Espases Hospital says that there have been cases of people being admitted to intensive care because of flu.

There are notable numbers of cases of flu in most of the mainland regions of Spain. In Castile and León and Catalonia, the case numbers are classified as epidemic. This is not the situation in the Balearics, though the typical pattern is that the Balearics are a couple of weeks behind mainland regions.

The predominant strain of flu is the H3N2 subtype. This is the most aggressive, and the vaccine for the general population gives less protection against it than other subtypes. Nevertheless, and as with all flu vaccines as well as Covid vaccines, there is protection against serious development of the disease.

Opinion is that transmission of influenza virus increases as Covid transmission decreases. There is no firm scientific evidence of this, but it would seem to match what has (or had) been happening with the reduction in Covid incidence rates.