NIPH announces first confirmed flu death of the season / The victim was an unvaccinated man from Cluj with pre-existing conditions

The National Institute of Public Health reported on Friday, October 16, the first death confirmed to have been caused by influenza virus this season. The victim was a man from Cluj County, aged at least 65, with pre-existing medical conditions and no recorded flu vaccination. The man tested positive for type A influenza virus, which is currently being subtyped.

According to the latest report by the National Centre for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases, 82,363 cases of respiratory infections were recorded during the week of October 5–11, 2.7% more than in the previous week, but 2.8% below the level recorded during the same period last season.

During the same period, 201 cases of clinical influenza, 12 cases of severe acute respiratory infections and 12 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases were reported. These included infections with AH1 influenza virus, unsubtyped influenza A virus, influenza B virus, untyped virus and two A+B co-infections.

Since the beginning of the season, 13 influenza cases have been confirmed. By October 11, the National Electronic Vaccination Registry recorded 256,556 flu vaccinations, of which 252,147 were administered to groups eligible for reimbursement.