Doctors warn that flu cases could increase after the Christmas and New Year celebrations due to the increase in social contacts. In this context, during the last quarter there has been a notable increase in the sale of face masks in the Balearic Islands, especially as a preventive measure against respiratory infections typical of this time of the year.
According to the latest official data from the Ministry of Health, Ibiza is currently the island with the highest incidence of influenza, with 103.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. At the opposite extreme is Formentera, with 25.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a significant difference within the archipelago. In the Balearic Islands as a whole, the incidence stands at 75 cases, which keeps the community in an epidemic phase of low intensity, according to Periódico de Ibiza.
The Official College of Pharmacists of the Balearic Islands (COFIB) confirmed to this newspaper that the distribution of masks in pharmacies has tripled in the last three months. However, they indicated that this increase has not been accompanied by a higher demand for antigen tests or anti-influenza drugs, whose sales remain within the usual values.
The COFIB explained that the sale of anti-flu drugs did register an increase during last summer, especially in August, coinciding with a higher number of cases of covid in the islands due to the arrival of international visitors. After falling in the following months, sales have picked up again slightly in the last month, with no supply problems in pharmacies.
With the current situation, the Balearic Islands remains in stage I of the Protocol of Recommendations for the Control of Infectious Diseases, which includes measures such as the use of masks in case of respiratory symptoms or in vulnerable or crowded environments. The Conselleria de Salud has also insisted once again on the importance of influenza vaccination as the main prevention tool.
