The seasonal flu outbreak in Iran has escalated sharply, with infection rates surpassing 30%, three times higher than the official warning threshold, according to public health experts. Nearly all provinces are now reporting widespread cases.
Ahmad Mehri, an epidemiologist and public health specialist, told Mehr News Agency that the cold season and reduced ventilation in indoor spaces have fueled the surge. Under Iran’s surveillance system, a 10% positivity rate in respiratory samples marks the alert level, but current figures show infections exceeding 30%.
Symptoms mirror other respiratory illnesses, including body aches, coughing, fever, and fatigue. Vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly, pregnant women, diabetics, cancer patients, individuals with high blood pressure, and those on immune suppressing medications, face the greatest risk.
Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi had previously identified Tehran, Razavi Khorasan, South Khorasan, Zahedan, Qazvin, Isfahan, Ardabil, West Azerbaijan, Mazandaran, and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari as provinces with the highest flu prevalence.
In Mazandaran, the infection index has reached 20, while in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, 40% of tests have returned positive, prompting urgent calls to follow health protocols.
The outbreak has already led to school and university closures in multiple provinces. Meanwhile, a social media campaign is urging short term nationwide shutdowns to break the chain of transmission, while also improving air quality.
Ghobad Moradi, head of the Center for Communicable Disease Management at the Ministry of Health, stressed that the combination of heavy air pollution and the flu outbreak has a compounding effect. Inflamed and weakened lungs, he explained, are far more susceptible to influenza infection under such conditions.
According to Moradi, between 28,000 and 31,000 people died from influenza last year across the country. While scattered reports of fatalities have already emerged this season, comprehensive nationwide figures have not yet been released.
Citizens are being urged to avoid crowded areas and wear face masks as influenza cases surge nationwide.
