Influenza incidence in Latvia showed a significant decline last week, with reported cases decreasing by 41.9%, translating to 110.6 influenza cases per 100,000 residents, down from the previous week's 190.4 cases per 100,000. Monitoring revealed influenza cases in eight out of ten surveyed areas, with the city of Jelgava exhibiting the highest intensity at 325.8 cases per 100,000. As is typical in previous seasons, higher rates of infection were noted among children under the age of 14.

The report also highlighted that there were eight notifications of deaths among patients with confirmed influenza infections during the past week, bringing the total number of reported fatalities since the start of the monitoring season to 44. These statistics indicate the ongoing impact of the flu season and the need for public health measures to mitigate the spread of the virus, especially among vulnerable populations such as young children and the elderly.

Further analysis by the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory showed that last week, influenza was laboratory-confirmed in 15.8% of analyzed samples, an increase from 12.4% the previous week. The majority of these confirmed cases were due to Type A influenza viruses, although one case of Type B was also recorded. This data underscores the importance of ongoing surveillance and response strategies as the flu season progresses, balancing between public awareness and healthcare resource management.