Cyprus recorded its first RSV death of the current respiratory season on Monday, as the flu death toll rose to 26, health officials said.
The RSV fatality involved a 40-year-old who belonged to a vulnerable population group. Of the 26 flu deaths, 18 involved people aged over 80. Both viruses continue to affect mainly children under 14 and the elderly.
Christos Charalambous, an officer at the Ministry of Health’s Epidemiological Surveillance Unit, told Phileleftheros that flu remains highly active in the community but said “we have reached a peak.” He added that RSV appears to be following the same trajectory.
Charalambous noted an unusual pattern this season, saying that RSV “usually appears at the start of the infection season, before flu, but this year cases began appearing somewhat later.”
On Covid-19, he said data shows “activity is at low levels,” though he stressed the virus remains active throughout the year rather than in a specific season.
Looking ahead, Charalambous said it is very likely that “within March we will see another surge, mainly of Flu B” — a pattern typically observed in Cyprus.
The dominant strain remains Flu A (H3N2), accounting for 70% of cases, with subclade K making up a large share of those. Flu A (H1N1) accounts for the remaining 30%. Charalambous said Cyprus’s data does not differ from figures recorded across most European countries.
Hospital admissions for serious flu symptoms ranged between 130 and 140 island-wide in recent weeks. Epidemiological data is collected weekly from 11 hospitals and 42 general practitioners.
