Up to 6,000 children will need hospitalization due to flu this season in Spain.

With the calendar now set to October, schools are at full capacity, which means more doctor visits due to viruses and common infections. And then a virus appears on the horizon. fluan old thing known to everyone but usually goes unnoticed in families due to ignorance. Big mistake, as statistics confirm this The incidence of influenza in children is higher than in adults.

Children in particular are at high risk of being harmed complications associated with influenza. Actually, two out of three children hospitalized for influenza have no risk factors. “Influenza is an often underdiagnosed disease, although it can have serious consequences, especially in children and the elderly,” says the doctor. Dr. Ivan Sanzresponsible for scientific and virological surveillance of the National Influenza Center of Valladolid, who states that “it is estimated that Between 4,000 and 6,000 children will require hospitalization due to flu this season in Spain“.

It is estimated that in a normal year Flu affects 10% to 20% of the population.which means it causes between three and five million serious cases and about 650,000 deaths worldwide. And Spain is not far behind.

During influenza outbreaks, it is usually the little ones in the house who get sick first. The highest incidence of influenza is observed in children aged zero to four years, followed by children under 15 years of age.. In addition, children are considered a fundamental factor in the chain of transmission of influenza because they shed large amounts of virus over a longer period of time.

For this reason, preventing influenza is important, since influenza causes thousands of hospitalizations with severe complications and about ten deaths in our country every year. “Those of us who work with influenza know its consequences, but we still There is a lot of work to be done as society has no real understanding of the seriousness of this disease.“explains Dr. Fernando Sanchez PeralesPresident of the Pediatric Society of Madrid and Castile-La Mancha.

In this scenario AstraZeneca launched Campaign “Flu School”an initiative that is part of the ABCDelagripe project and reminds of the importance of knowledge of influenza and its prevention measures, especially among the pediatric population.