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We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.<\/strong> <\/p>\nBack to Healio<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\nKey takeaways:<\/h2>\n\nInfluenza may contribute more to winter deaths than records indicate, a study found.<\/li>\n Researchers said the findings demonstrate a need for enhanced surveillance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nMUNICH \u2014 Winter deaths associated with influenza may be significantly undercounted, a team of Spanish researchers found.<\/p>\n
The researchers conducted an observational study of 857 patients who died during four influenza seasons in Spain. Among them, 11% tested positive for influenza after death, but only 17% of those cases had been diagnosed while they were alive, and influenza was named as the cause of death in just 1.4% of cases.<\/p>\n
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These gaps, according to the researchers, suggest that influenza may contribute more to winter mortality than records show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe results of this pilot study were very surprising,\u201d Jes\u00fas Castilla, MD, PhD,<\/b> of the Public Health Institute of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, told Healio. \u201cThe impact of respiratory viral infections on mortality may be higher than previously thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
In their study, Castilla and colleagues obtained postmortem swabs within 24 hours of death and conducted PCR testing for a broad panel of respiratory viruses. The study included four influenza seasons spanning 2016-2017 through 2019-2020 in the Navarre region of Spain. Influenza was not the only undercounted respiratory illness. According to the researchers, rhinovirus, human coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus infections were also missed while patients were alive.<\/p>\n
Castilla said the findings likely reflect an undercounting of influenza deaths in other parts of the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number of deaths with a confirmed diagnosis of influenza and other respiratory virus infection is very low as compared with such excess mortality. Therefore, it seems that the results may be valid for other countries and regions,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
The researchers noted that, among older people and those with underlying conditions, influenza symptoms are often less pronounced or masked by existing illness, potentially causing the undercounting of influenza deaths.<\/p>\n
To expand on this research, Castilla said he and his team have launched a similar study but with a larger cohort. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve continued this study and have increased the number of deceased people recruited,\u201d he said, while adding that such a study is \u201cchallenging\u201d because it requires collaboration of a laboratory, a funeral company and a team of epidemiologists.<\/p>\n
For more information:<\/h2>\n Jes\u00fas <\/b>Castilla<\/b>, MD, PhD<\/b>, <\/b>can be reached at jcastilc@navarra.es. <\/p>\n\n
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Perspective<\/h2>\n Back to Top
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It\u2019s always been the case that some proportion of infectious causes of death were missed and not recorded as a death from infectious disease. That is more the case during peak times of respiratory virus transmission when not everyone is tested and the respiratory virus is triggering an exacerbation of another underlying condition.<\/default:p>This study illustrates that infectious disease diagnostic testing is suboptimal and that the role of infectious disease in causing and triggering underlying illnesses is underappreciated.<\/default:p><\/p>\n\n
Amesh A. Adalja, MD<\/strong><\/p>\n\nSenior Scholar, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n
Disclosures: <\/strong> Adalja reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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Published by:<\/span>\n
Sources\/Disclosures<\/h3>\n Source: <\/h2>\n Argente L, et al. Abstract O0014. Presented at: ESCMID Global; April 17-21, 2026; Munich.<\/p>\n
References:<\/h2>\n\n
Disclosures: <\/strong>
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