As of October 20 this season, 18,875 people from at-risk groups have been vaccinated against influenza in Latvia - the elderly and people with chronic diseases were the most actively vaccinated, but the Disease Prevention and Control Center (CDC) urges everyone to get vaccinated.
This autumn, 1.9% more influenza vaccines have been purchased than last year, totaling 133,120 doses. Three types of influenza vaccines are available to the population, developed according to the types of circulating viruses to provide the best protection.
The only way to strengthen immunity against influenza is through vaccination, said Uga Dumpis, the chief infectious disease specialist at the Stradins Clinical University Hospital, at a press conference today. In addition to symptoms, influenza can cause serious complications such as heart attacks and strokes. It is particularly dangerous for the elderly, worsening their overall health, including exacerbating dementia.
The professor noted that influenza often leads to pneumonia, cardiovascular complications, and exacerbations of chronic diseases, especially in people with weakened health, and vaccination is a safe and effective way to avoid this.
According to Dumpis, in Latvia, the vaccination coverage for patients in at-risk groups is less than 20%, which is considered low, while in other European countries it exceeds 75%.
At the same time, experts noted that other viruses, such as Covid-19, are also circulating.
It is expected that in the coming months, influenza incidence will continue to rise and reach its peak early next year.
According to the CDC, from October 13 to 19, influenza activity in Latvia remained low, with three clinically diagnosed cases of influenza reported - 4.3 per 100,000 population. In hospitals, four cases of influenza A virus were laboratory confirmed.
Last week, 990 patients visited family doctors with acute respiratory infections, and 153 patients were treated in hospitals for severe ARI - 4% of the total number of hospitalizations. Most of them were aged 65 and older.
The proportion of positive tests for Covid-19 rose to 11.2%, with two deaths reported involving Covid-19.
In the last influenza season, 146 deaths from influenza were registered in Latvia, 94% of which occurred in people who were unvaccinated.
Most of the deceased - 73% - were over 70 years old. A total of 121,829 people were vaccinated against influenza in the previous season, or 6.5% of the population of Latvia. Most of the vaccinated were aged 60+ - 78,704 people or 14.8% of that age group.
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