By Andrea Hargraves 
Paraíba recorded, between December and Saturday (8), 116 cases of influenza A virus, according to the Epidemiological Bulletin published by the Ministry of Health of Paraíba (SES-PB). Of the 116 positive patients, 104 were H3N2 positive and 12 were not the subtype.
According to the bulletin, among the 116 patients who tested positive for influenza A virus, 45 were hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), of whom seven died.
Of the seven recorded deaths, two patients were men and five women, over the age of 70, who had comorbidities, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and respiratory disease were the identified comorbidities.
The deaths occurred in the municipalities of Boa Vista (2), Joao Pessoa (2), Cajazeras (1), Piedras de Fogo (1) and Santa Rita (1). According to SES-PB, the first H3N2 death occurred in Paraíba on December 29, 2021, while the other deaths occurred between January 2 and 8 this year.
About 559 samples were processed by the Central Laboratory in Paraíba (Lacen-PB), of which 442 were undetected for the virus. 17 municipalities in Paraíba have already confirmed cases of H3N2 patients.
Regarding the age group, the largest number of cases was recorded among people between 20 and 29 years old. Most of them are men, accounting for 51% of cases.