Analysis of Infections Caused by Influenza Viruses and Influenza-Like Viruses in the Population of People over 65 Years of Age in the 2019-2020 Epidemic Season in Poland

Background: Influenza can be the most dangerous for people in risk groups, for example for seniors, in whom it can lead to serious and life-threatening complications. The aim of this research was to analyze the activity of influenza vi-ruses and influenza-like viruses in patients over 65 years of age in the 2019-2020 epidemic season in Poland.Material/Methods: A total of 1269 samples collected from patients over 65 years of age with suspected influenza or other respira-tory viruses in the 2019-2020 epidemic season (from October 1, 2019, to September 30, 2020) were analyzed. The test material was nose and throat swabs collected during the 2019-2020 epidemic season. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the influenza virus type and subtype for positive samples.Results: mong the confirmed infections with influenza viruses, cases due to influenza A were dominant, and the dom-inant subtype was influenza A subtype A/H1N1/pdm09. Infections with influenza-like viruses were also con-firmed in the patients participating in the study, with the presence of genetic material of respiratory syncytial viruses confirmed most often.Conclusions: In the 2019-2020 influenza season, cases of influenza A were dominant, and the dominant subtype was influ-enza A subtype A/H1N1/pdm09. Patients over 65 years of age constitute the majority of all patients treated for flu in Europe and worldwide. Seasonal vaccinations is the most effective method to reduce the number of cases, and thus the risk of post-influenza complications and deaths among seniors