Potential Australian flu cases in Rome

Massimo Andreoni, the scientific director of the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and a professor at the Tor Vergata University in Rome, has suggested that the Australian flu virus may also be spreading in Lazio and Rome. The results of laboratory tests on several reports of flu syndromes are currently pending. Experts estimate the incidence to be approximately 200,000 cases per week at the national level. The timing of the peak remains less certain, with estimates suggesting it occurs at the end of December on average, though in the previous year, this shifted to the end of November. During the last influenza epidemic, 14.5 million cases were recorded, while this year experts anticipate that the figure will reach approximately 15 million, given that evidence indicates that the H3N2 virus is more capable of evading the immune system. Consequently, it is vital to prioritise vaccination now to ensure adequate protection against this seasonal threat. According to Pierluigi Bartoletti, national deputy secretary of the Italian Federation of General Practitioners (FIMMG), there has been a high rate of compliance with the influenza vaccination campaign among patients, in stark contrast to the relatively low vaccination uptake for the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.