Up to five million Italians will
be bedridden by the flu this year, with young people most likely
to be affected, researchers at Milan University said on
Thursday.
About 40% of influenza cases will hit under-18s, another
40% will affect people between 18 and 65, and 20% will affect
those over 65, though the risks are higher for the elderly and
vaccines are recommended for this group.
"Up to now we can say that the flu season will not be
particularly severe this year but will affect between four and
five million Italians," said Fabrizio Pregliasco, a researcher
from the department of biomedical science for health at Milan
University.
He added however that a similar prediction was made this
time last year, and the number of cases turned out to be higher
than expected at 6.5 million.
The viruses that will be responsible for the outbreaks are
pinpointed as H1N1, H3N2 and B Phuket. The possible arrival of
the new virus B Brisbane could increase the number of cases, as
well as particularly cold weather.
The most likely time for the flu to spread will be around
Christmas time when people are coming into contact with lots of
friends and family.
"It's not easy to say when the peak will arrive, but some
studies indicate that the flu kicks off when temperatures fall
and stay low for several days. This typically happens after
Christmas, and seasonal travel, kisses and hugs are also to
blame," Pregliasco said.
He warned also that illnesses similar to flu could affect
an additional 8-10 million people in Italy this year.
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