Decline of the Influenza Wave; HSE Emphasizes Continued Health Monitoring and Preventive Measures in Workplaces and Public Settings

According to the Supporters of Occupational Health and Safety News Agency, citing ILNA, the latest data released by the Communicable Diseases Surveillance System of the Ministry of Health indicate that the influenza wave in the country is subsiding. Nevertheless, HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) experts stress the importance of maintaining preventive measures, particularly in workplaces, industrial settings, and crowded public environments.

Based on the announcement by the Center for Communicable Disease Management, during the second week of Bahman 1404, the proportion of outpatient cases with influenza-like illness (ILI) and hospitalized patients with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) showed no significant change compared to previous weeks. During this period, 8.3% of outpatients presented with ILI symptoms, while 7.1% of hospitalized patients exhibited SARI symptoms.

Laboratory Findings and Health Risk Assessment

Out of 190 respiratory samples collected from patients with ILI or SARI symptoms, the PCR positivity rate for COVID-19 was below 0.5%, while the PCR positivity rate for influenza was 3.1%. These figures suggest that the risk of a widespread outbreak is currently low, though not negligible, and still requires active public health management.

Further analysis shows that:

• The proportion of influenza-positive samples among outpatients has slightly increased,
• While a minor decrease has been observed among hospitalized patients.

However, in both groups, the reported rates remain below the high-alert threshold.

Regional Analysis and HSE Considerations

According to the Deputy for Public Health at the Ministry of Health, during the second week of Bahman:

• Gilan Province recorded influenza rates approximately 1.5 times above the high-alert threshold,
• West Azerbaijan Province reached the alert threshold,
• And Hormozgan Province, with a rate of 9.9%, approached the high-alert threshold.

In Tehran University of Medical Sciences, the influenza positivity rate was reported at 14%, whereas the overall rate for Tehran Province (including Tehran, Iran, and Shahid Beheshti Universities of Medical Sciences) was 4.9%. Investigations indicate that this discrepancy is mainly due to the limited number of tested samples and the identification of influenza cases among travelers returning from Istanbul, detected by the border health surveillance unit at Imam Khomeini International Airport—a finding that underscores the importance of border health controls within the HSE framework.

Gradual Exit from the Influenza Wave

Based on the consolidated data, most provinces across the country had exited the influenza wave by the second week of Bahman 1404. Additionally, weekly surveillance findings (February 6–12, 2026) show that out of 236 samples tested using PCR methods at the National Influenza Reference Laboratory and 17 regional hubs, 6.7% tested positive.

Among these cases, the H3N2 subtype accounted for approximately 72% of Influenza A infections, highlighting— from an HSE perspective—the need for enhanced protection of high-risk groups, including the elderly, individuals with underlying health conditions, and workers in high-exposure occupations.

HSE Recommendations

HSE and occupational health experts emphasize that despite the decline of the influenza wave:

• Adherence to personal and respiratory hygiene in workplaces,
• Adequate ventilation of enclosed spaces,
• Encouraging symptomatic individuals to stay at home,
• And continued health monitoring of employees,

should remain key priorities for employers and HSE units in order to prevent the emergence of new waves of respiratory diseases.