Increase in flu cases and hospitalizations is due to low vaccination, says infectologist

The infectologist and consultant of the Brazilian Society of Infectology (SBI) Raquel Stucchi told CNN, this Saturday (1st), that the increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations due to flu is due to the low vaccination rate in the population.

Stucchi explained that at this time an increase in the circulation of the Influenza virus is expected, which usually leads to a greater number of cases of the disease. “The government provides the Influenza vaccine to try to reduce this number. But, unfortunately, there is a low adherence of the population to vaccination”, he said.

This year, until the last week of June, 176 deaths resulting from infection with different types of influenza virus were recorded in the state of São Paulo, and 2,086 people needed to be hospitalized.

In the same period of the previous year, 1,540 hospitalizations and 259 deaths were recorded. Despite the drop in lethality, this year the number of hospitalizations grew by 35.4%.

Low adherence led the Health Department to extend the flu vaccination campaign – which is available to the entire population over six months – for another 30 days, ending on July 31. Across the state, 44.5% of the target audience was vaccinated. The goal is to reach 90%.

For Raquel Stucchi, people’s lack of awareness of the risk they are running means that many do not consider it important to get the flu vaccine. “The increase in the number of hospitalizations has not been reported enough, so people are not going to get vaccinated.”

The infectologist also reiterates care for those who are showing flu symptoms – such as fever, sneezing, congested nose, fatigue and body aches. The use of a mask, to make it difficult to transmit to others. And, if people are part of the risk group, such as the elderly and immunosuppressed, the use of antivirals.

Watch the full interview in the video above.