Ruhollah Shirzadi, head of Tehran’s Children’s Medical Center Hospital, said that visits related to respiratory infections such as COVID-19 and influenza have increased by twenty to thirty percent in recent weeks compared to previous months.
Shirzadi said on Wednesday, November 26, in an interview with the state-run ISNA news agency, that despite this rise, ICU admissions due to influenza and COVID-19 have not yet increased.
Seasonal factors, being indoors with closed doors and windows, increased close contact due to spending more time in enclosed environments, and children being present in schools all contribute to the higher spread of contagious respiratory illnesses during this season.
Shirzadi explained that the seasonal waves of influenza, coronaviruses, rhinoviruses, and parainfluenza begin in November and continue until March.
He emphasized that although the number of severely ill patients visiting the Children’s Medical Center has increased, the figures related to influenza and coronaviruses are not alarming at this time.
Alongside air pollution, the rise in influenza cases has also led to school closures and a shift to remote classes in several provinces of Iran.
The Ministry of Health had earlier announced that the percentage of positive influenza cases has risen significantly since the first week of November, and although all age groups are affected, children and teenagers account for the majority of cases.
According to the ministry’s statement, high fever is the most common symptom among children brought to medical centers, and in rare cases where the fever is not controlled in time, there is a possibility of seizures.
The Ministry of Health’s Center for Infectious Disease Management also announced on November 23 that influenza transmission has surpassed the alert threshold.
Despite the spread of influenza in Iran, no official statistics have yet been released regarding possible deaths caused by the illness.
Several specialists, including Shirzadi, have recommended that individuals with underlying conditions, those with cardiovascular diseases, transplant recipients, people with progressive lung diseases, pregnant women, and adults over sixty must receive the influenza vaccine.
In addition to influenza, the renewed spread of the COVID-19 virus in Iran has also been confirmed.
Qobad Moradi, head of the Ministry of Health’s Center for Infectious Disease Management, said on November 19 that the share of COVID-19 among current respiratory infections is about 2%.
