A 2024 report estimates that common viral diseases cost Swedish society over 25 billion kronor annually, including healthcare expenses and productivity losses, with true costs likely even higher.
Influenza cases in Sweden have doubled in recent weeks with rising deaths and hospitalizations amid the spread of a new K-variant.
Sweden faces an early, intensified flu season fueled by a contagious K-variant of influenza A, causing high infection rates and notable school outbreaks.
About 20% of Swedes carry a gene variant providing immunity against winter vomiting disease, tracing back to early farming migrations over 8,000 years ago.