Two deaths from influenza A H1N1 in Vicenza: alarm over rising infections

Two men have died in a few days in Vicenza from the consequences of the A H1N1 virus. There was initial talk of contagion of the so-called 'swine flu', but in the evening the Veneto Region's Health Directorate, in a note issued by manager Francesca Russo, clarified how it was wrong to lump it with the 'v' variant of H1N1 (swine flu).

This phase of the year is characterised by the circulation of the H1N1 pdm09 virus (Pandemic disease Mexico 2009): 'This is,' Russo emphasises, 'the flu virus that has been circulating widely in all flu seasons since 2009. Calling it a 'swine flu' virus is a media legacy that makes one think of a non-seasonal virus'.

Every year the respiratory viruses, observes the Veneto Health Directorate, cause an increase in hospitalisations and mortality during the circulation period; at present, however, they are in line with the flu seasons of the pre-pandemic period. 'The recent WHO report,' Francesca Russo emphasises, 'confirms that mortality is superimposable on that prior to the Covid pandemic period. In any case, surveillance through general practitioners and paediatricians and hospital surveillance remains important'. The two close deaths of patients affected by the flu has however caused alarm in Vicenza.

A first patient, a 55-year-old man, had died on Sunday 7 January; on 8 January, a 47-year-old man, who had been in a desperate condition for days, died of the serious respiratory consequences of the same illness. And also at the San Bortolo hospital, in the Berici capital, three other patients, including a woman, are in a very serious condition, admitted to intensive care. One of the worst complications of the virus is intestial pneumonia. In the most serious cases, doctors help patients to overcome the crisis peak with Ecmo, extracorporeal circulation and ventilation.

The positive news is that the vaccine against seasonal flu can protect against the virus. This is why the Vicenza local health authority has launched an appeal to undergo prophylaxis. "This flu strain," Russo confirms, "is contained in the vaccine, which is available for people at risk and for all the categories indicated by the ministry: vaccination is therefore absolutely recommended, even for a wider public. It remains important to use masks and individual protection tools in the event of contagion, and in the most serious episodes a possible prompt treatment with antivirals'.