Armenia sees decline in acute respiratory infection cases

The number of newly recorded severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases in Armenia declined sharply from April 20-26, according to a joint weekly analysis by leading medical institutions.

Data compiled from the Heratsi No. 1 University Hospital, Muratsan Hospital Complex and the Mikayelyan Institute of Surgery indicate that 59 new SARI cases were hospitalized during the 17th epidemiological week of the year, marking a 32% decrease compared with the previous week.

The Heratsi Research Center reported that new SARI cases accounted for 6% of total hospital admissions, down from 7% a week earlier, suggesting a modest easing in the burden on inpatient services.

Age-stratified analysis revealed that infections were concentrated in two pediatric cohorts. Children aged 0–4 comprised the majority of cases at 59%, while those aged 5–14 accounted for the remaining 41%.

No patients required admission to intensive care units during the reporting period, indicating that, despite ongoing transmission, the clinical severity of cases remained manageable within standard hospital care settings.