20-12-2022

With Holiday Approaching and Incidence Rates Rising Do Not Forget Prevention Measures

The National Public Health Centre under the Ministry of Health (NPHC) informs that the overall incidence rate of influenza, acute respiratory infections (ARI) and COVID-19 climbed higher and reached 1843.5 cases per 100,000 last week. The week before (5-11 December) the total incidence rate was 1577.4 cases per 100,000.

NVSC specialists remind the public how to protect yourself and those around you during the festive season:

Wash your hands thoroughly (at least 20-30 seconds).
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, especially with unclean hands.
Ventilate and wet-clean the premises regularly.
Cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue when sneezing and coughing. Throw the used tissue in a trash. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands. If you cover your mouth and nose with your palm, wash your hands immediately.
When you feel like you have a virus, stay home, do not go to festive work parties, do not take your children to educational institutions, but instead contact your family doctor.
When you have flu symptoms, wear a medical mask to help hold respiratory secretions when you cough or sneeze. Also, wear a medical mask when caring for a sick person.
Wear medical face masks or respirators in closed public places: (shops, churches, etc.), public transport and any crowded places that are poorly ventilated, and keep a safe distance from other people. Face protection measures are mandatory in personal health care institutions.
A flu vaccine offers the best defence against getting flu and spreading it to others. If you have not had time to get vaccinated yet, there is still the opportunity to do so. Vaccination is highly recommended for persons belonging to risk groups who are at higher risk for serious flu complications. You should contact your family doctor for vaccinations.

During week 50, compared to the week before, the number of cases of influenza and ARI increased, while the number of COVID-19 cases slightly decreased.

Last week the lowest incidence rate of influenza, ARI and COVID-19 remained in Utena County, the highest in Kaunas County. The epidemic level of morbidity, defined as more than 1,500 cases per 100,000 people, has now been reached in 32 Municipalities, compared to 22 Municipalities a week before. The highest incidence rates were reported in Kėdainiai District (2949.72 cases/100 000), Kaunas (2832.13 cases/100,000), Panevėžys (2774.99 cases/ 100,000), Šilutė District (2731.42 cases/ 100,000), Marijampolė Municipality (2692.60 cases/100,000), and Jonava District (2660.12 cases/100,000).

Data on incidence of influenza, ARI and COVID-19 in Counties

Over the period of 12-18 December, 156 people (122 of whom aged 0-17 years and a pregnant woman) were hospitalized due to flu. 6 individuals (5 of whom aged 2-17 years) were treated in intensive care units, whereas over the period 5-11 December, 97 persons (71 of whom aged 0-17 years) were hospitalized and 6 persons (3 of whom aged 2-17 years) were treated in intensive care units.

First two deaths from flu were reported in the country last week.

According to the data from the National Public Health Laboratory, in week 49/2022 a total of 936 specimens were obtained from patients with symptoms of ARI, of which 340 specimens were positive for influenza A virus, 1 was positive for B virus, and 197 were positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Seasonal incidence of influenza and acute respiratory infections in Lithuania since 2017

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), for week 49/2022 in Europe, 9 458 of 73 395 specimens tested positive for an influenza virus; 9,032 (95%) were type A and 426 (5%) were type B.

European weekly data on influenza virus detections by type, season 2022/2023

For more information visit https://flunewseurope.org/VirusCharacteristics

Last updated: 17-05-2023

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