THE INFLUENZA epidemic across Spain has reached new highs this week, with the average of 1.74% of the population affected rising to 2.2%.
Health services in most of the north and centre of the mainland are in deep strife with A&E departments full to bursting and reported waits of up to 30 hours for non-urgent cases to be seen.
In the Balearic Islands, Catalunya and Asturias, the epidemic has apparently reached its peak, although in the regions of Valencia and Murcia, the real crisis is not expected to hit until the end of the month.
Only Andalucía, the Canary Islands and the Spanish-owned city-province of Ceuta on the northern Moroccan coast appear to have escaped.
With a 26% rise in diagnoses in the past week, a total of 25 outbreaks have been reported in seven of Spain's regions, plus another 19 in elderly residents' homes and six in hospitals, compared with eight in total a week ago.
The majority of 'flu incidences reported correspond with the A-virus, or AH3N2.
Navarra, in the north, is the worst-hit with 4.12% of its population hit with the 'flu, followed by Castilla y León with nearly 4.1% and the Basque Country at 3.99%.
Cantabria is also at nearly double the average with 3.88% of its headcount currently suffering influenza; in La Rioja, 3.51% have been diagnosed and in Extremadura in the west, 3.36%.
Since the start of winter, a total of 103 people have died from the 'flu, largely because of existing health conditions causing complications, and the situation is expected to become continually worse.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com