Flu cases in the second week of January were twice the highest number recorded in 2017 but were now on the decline, the health authorities said.
The influx of patients seeking treatment for flu forced hospitals in Malta and Gozo to postpone non-critical interventions in the first two weeks of 2018.
Flu struck earlier than usual, as had been predicted, and the number of patients suffering from the infectious illness reached a high in the second week of this month.
A Health Ministry spokeswoman said that nine out of every 100 people examined by a doctor since mid-December was found to have contracted influenza. This figure shot up to 16.6 cases per 100 patients in the second week of the year, the spokeswoman added.
“This was double the highest threshold level last season. From week three, we started seeing a drop in flu cases,” she noted.
Read: Flu cases double, piling pressure on hospital staff
It was reported in the in the international media that the flu vaccine might be ineffective, resulting in the spike in numbers. The spokeswoman pointed out that the jab given to patients in Malta was the same as that used across Europe and was based on guidelines issued by the World Health Organization.
According to data provided by the Directorate for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Malta had a flu vaccination uptake record this year. A total of 90,677 people had been inoculated by last month, up 28 per cent (19,928) over last year.
The spokeswoman acknowledged that tests carried out by the health authorities showed that the influenza type that impacted a significant number of people was not covered by the vaccine. However, she quickly added, this should not discourage patients from getting the jab next year.
“Analysis of the prevalent serotypes showed that, in the beginning of the season, the majority of cases were affected by flu A (H3) type. This was covered by the seasonal flu vaccine.
“As the season progressed, the number affected by flu B predominated. A random number of samples of flu B were typed and these resulted to be B Yamagata lineage, which was not covered by the vaccine. This second wave of influenza B was also seen in other European countries,” the spokeswoman said.
She noted that the high uptake of the vaccine served to cut down on the number of initial flu cases, insisting that the spread would have been much worse had fewer people opted to be immunised.
“A person is likely to give [the flu] to others in the first five days of symptoms. Hence, apart from the vaccination campaign, there was a strong drive, which is still ongoing, to promote flu prevention measures to reduce the risk of spreading flu, including the washing of hands, cough etiquette and for sick people not to go to work or school,” the spokeswoman explained.