Giacchetta I, Primieri C, Cavalieri R, Domnich A,. The burden of seasonal influenza in Italy: A systematic review of influenza-related complications, hospitalizations, and mortality. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2021 Oct 26
Reliable country-specific data on influenza burden play a crucial role in informing prevention and control measures. Our purpose was to provide a comprehensive summary of the available evidence on the burden of seasonal influenza in Italy. We performed a systematic literature review of articles published until July 31, 2020. PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched using terms related to burden, influenza, and Italian population. We included studies investigating seasonal influenza-related complications, hospitalizations, and/or mortality. Sixteen studies were included: eight (50%) analyzed influenza-related complications, eight (50%) hospitalizations, and seven (43.8%) influenza-related deaths. Only three studies (19.7%) concerned pediatric age. The synthesis of results showed that patients with chronic conditions have an increased risk for complications up to almost three times as compared with healthy people. Hospitalizations due to influenza can occur in as much as 5% of infected people depending on the study setting. Excess deaths rates were over sixfold higher in the elderly as compared with the rest of population. Although there are still gaps in existing data, there is evidence of the significant burden that influenza places each year especially on high-risk groups. These data should be used to inform public health decision-making.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- Engineered Bacillus subtilis to deliver dsRNA via extracellular vesicles against the H9N2 avian influenza virus 2 hours ago
- [preprint]Spatiotemporal dynamics and ecological risk factors of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in Canadian wildlife: A One Health surveillance analysis 2 hours ago
- Epidemiological and Virological Characteristics of H9N2 Avian Influenza Virus in Jiangsu Province, China, 2024 14 hours ago
- Innate Pathway Selection Modulates Antibody and T-Cell Responses to Mosaic Influenza Nucleoprotein in Cattle 1 days ago
- Game Over for the Baseline: Influenza Hospitalization Patterns Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic (FluSurv-NET, 2009–2025) 1 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


