The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned today that Kovid-19 cases in the Americas increased by 10.4% last week compared to the previous week, but that the countries of the region should also pay attention to the increase in other respiratory viruses.

There were 1,087,390 new Covid-19 cases and 4,155 deaths in the Americas last week.

At its press conference, PAHO said that the cases in South America increased by 43.1%, the biggest jump in the region, while the biggest increase in deaths due to Kovid-19 was in Central America with an increase of 21.3%. The area has been growing in the last six weeks.

PAHO Director Carissa Etienne said that other respiratory viruses such as flu, monkeypox and viral hepatitis are also on the rise and countries should pay close attention to these diseases.

“The flu virus is recirculating not just during the traditional flu season,” he said. “Countries should expand surveillance to monitor for other respiratory viruses, not just covid.”

Mexico and Peru saw more cases of flu than expected, and Argentina, Chile and Uruguay reported more hospitalizations than usual for the virus.

PAHO warned that many places could face the threat of a dual flu epidemic with the rise in Covid-19 cases, posing an “additional risk to healthcare workers, the elderly and pregnant women”.

Etienne said the rise in extreme weather events such as hurricanes, heavy rains and flooding in many parts of America is another strain on health services in the region.

PAHO said the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Central American Integration System expect to see more storms than average this year, particularly in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

“This is worrying because only one big storm is enough to destroy people’s livelihoods, damage our health systems and cause countless casualties,” Etienne said. We must prepare early so that we are not caught unprepared.”