Fiocruz Flags Rising Influenza A and Severe Respiratory Cases Across Brazil

Overview

• New Fiocruz surveillance shows most states in the North, Center-West, Northeast and Southeast at alert levels for severe respiratory illness, with influenza A driving a growing share of recent infections and deaths.
• In lab-confirmed results from March 22–28, influenza A made up 27.4% of positives and 36.9% of deaths, with rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus and SARS‑CoV‑2 also contributing to hospitalizations.
• Brazil’s national flu drive, which began Saturday, March 28, offers a free trivalent shot that uses inactivated virus to reduce severe cases, with the campaign scheduled to run through May 30.
• Local authorities are widening access to raise uptake, with Belém opening shots to everyone six months and older and Rio de Janeiro city vaccinating all ages while urging priority groups to come forward.
• Health systems are adding capacity as cases climb, with Minas Gerais opening new pediatric ward beds and planning more ICU space, while the Health Ministry and Anvisa reject vaccine falsehoods and report only four detections of the H3N2 K subclade so far.