Haemophilus influenzae cases rise in Cyprus, EU highest since 1996

Cyprus recorded 11 confirmed cases of invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease in 2024, up from two in 2023, according to the annual epidemiological report published on Tuesday by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Across Europe, infections reached their highest level since EU-wide surveillance began in 1996. The bacterial infection can cause conditions ranging from pneumonia to septicaemia and meningitis, and it mainly affects infants and older people. Despite its name, Haemophilus influenzae is a bacterium, not a flu virus. It spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets or secretions. Cyprus recorded three cases in 2022, one in 2021 and none in 2020. Its rate rose from 0.2 cases per 100,000 people in 2023 to 1.1 per 100,000 in 2024. Highest since 1996 The 30 EU and European Economic Area countries that reported data recorded 5,856 confirmed cases in 2024, up from 5,520 in 2023 and 4,002 in 2022. That is far higher than in the pandemic years, when 1,838 cases were reported in 2020 and 1,698 in 2021. It is also above the pre-pandemic period, when annual cases ranged from 2,593 to 3,849 between 2013 and 2018. The ECDC estimates that cases in 2024 were more than 85 per cent higher than in 2018. The rise began in 2022, after very low levels in 2020 and 2021, when COVID-19 measures had been linked to reduced transmission of other respiratory infections. The seasonal pattern is also back to its pre-pandemic shape, with most cases occurring in the winter months. Deaths Of the 3,198 patients whose outcome was known, 269 died, a case fatality rate of 8.4 per cent. Among people aged 65 and over, 218 died out of 1,904 cases with a known outcome, a rate of 11.4 per cent. Infants and over-65s Infants under one had the highest rate across the EU and EEA, at 6.81 cases per 100,000. The rate falls significantly after the first years of life and climbs again in older age groups, reaching 3.59 per 100,000 among people aged 65 and over. Over-65s accounted for 58.8 per cent of all cases, and people aged 45 to 64 for 18.8 per cent. Pneumonia and septicaemia Information on the form the disease took was available for 4,283 of the confirmed cases. Pneumonia was the most common, in 1,555 cases or 36 per cent, followed by septicaemia in 887 cases or 21 per cent and meningitis in 459 cases or 11 per cent. In 58 cases, patients had both meningitis and septicaemia. Other strains The ECDC says type b of the bacterium, known as Hib, was once a major cause of serious infections in young children, mainly meningitis. The Hib vaccine, introduced from the 1980s, dramatically changed the picture, and systematic vaccination had almost eliminated Hib meningitis in young children. Most cases are now caused by other strains. Of 3,227 cases in 2024, 82 per cent involved other strains, while type b accounted for only 6 per cent. The ECDC concludes in its report that the growing burden from other strains makes continued epidemiological monitoring necessary. It stresses the need to keep Hib vaccination coverage high among infants and young children to prevent that type from returning. It also calls for stronger surveillance of the other strains and better protection strategies for vulnerable adults.