Incidence of acute respiratory viral infections on rise in Bishkek

14:04, 20 октября 2025, Bishkek - 24-kg.com news agency , Anastasia BENGARD

The Republican Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital reported an increase in the incidence of acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI).

According to medical staff, 1,334 patients visited the emergency room last week, 26 percent of whom had ARVI. At least 500 patients were hospitalized, 42 percent of whom with ARVI—mostly small children.

Currently, 155 patients with ARVI are being treated in the hospital, mostly children.

Six patients are in the intensive care unit, five of whom are children, including four children under 12 months old with ARVI.

All patients are hospitalized based on indications; there are no refusals. Treatment and examinations are provided at the hospital’s expense.

Due to the epidemiological situation, the Republican Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital asks residents to avoid crowded places and closed children’s playgrounds, and to contact their family doctors at the first signs of an acute respiratory viral infection.

Hospitalization should only be done with a referral from a Family Medicine Center (FMC).

Doctors remind to take precautions for acute respiratory viral infections:

Limit contact with sick people, especially during the first three days of illness;
During the peak of an acute respiratory viral infection, avoid attending mass events, try not to use public transport, or wear a protective mask;
Strictly observe personal hygiene rules (regularly wash your hands after contact with objects that may have contaminated the virus);
Support the body’s immune system by eating enough vegetables, fruits, and vitamins;
Spend time outdoors and engage in physical activity;
Get enough sleep;
Avoid smoking (as cigarettes reduce the body’s resistance to respiratory infections);
And rinse the nose with saline solution.

Doctors emphasized the importance of vaccination: a flu shot reduces the likelihood of illness among children by 60–90 percent.

«The main thing is not to self-medicate. If you develop a fever, do not take antibiotics immediately. If you have doubts about treatment, it’s better to consult a doctor to avoid worsening your condition,» the administration of the Republican Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital advised.

It was reported earlier that flu vaccination campaign has begun in Kyrgyzstan.