Doctors don’t dare predict what this year’s flu season will be like, but they believe it will be necessary to insist more than ever on vaccination against this virus. Above all because, as we have mentioned, a large part of the population not immunized against influenza as there was hardly any trace or exposure in recent years. This fact makes ours immune system to come more vulnerable and, moreover, for the first time there is no protection. Likewise, despite its de-escalation, the covid-19 is still there, but not so the restrictions.
Normally, the first cases of flu occur in the last weeks of autumn, in November. This means that, if it weren’t for mass broadcasting, the end of October now is a ripe time for the spread of influenza viruses. Indeed, historical analysis shows that from these dates ccases of influenza in Spain until the peak in January-February.
COLLAPSE OF HOSPITALS
This double epidemic that threatens bring down urgencies, as early as 2020 they want it to be registered as a word under the definition of “epidemic or pandemic of two different diseases occurring at the same time”. Its acceptance is under consideration, although its arrival is already a reality according to experts. This was confirmed to this newspaper on The Malaga doctor Andrea Jiménezwhich has provided several keys on how to prevent this phenomenon from being a problem in the health system.
” Unfortunately, there are signs that a new one wave of infections it is starting to increase again Europe, so it is expected to arrive in Spain within a few weeks. The simultaneous presence of two different disease peaks can lead to excessive exertion sanitary which in recent years had saved energy with the few cases of influenza ‘‘, emphasizes.
Although it is impossible to predict what will happen in the winter, data from both outbreaks so far recorded seem to indicate that, even as the coronavirus has mild cases, the the flu itself could produce a more acute infection, due to the absence of community transmission in the last two winters. “It is important to strengthen and influence the vaccination campaign for both virusesespecially with regard to elderly people and vulnerable sections of the population who have a higher risk of being referred to hospitals, ” explains Jiménez.
This is also confirmed by the director of the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC), Andrea Ammon, which shows concern for the hospital occupation due to the interference of both viruses. “Every year in the autumn-winter there is a flu outbreak, and this weighs on the health system, but normally it can be assumed. If, in addition, an increase in covid cases is added, as is to be expected given what happened in the last winters and the data that suggest that there is already an increase in infections, the danger of hospitals being filled is high“.
Although Covid cases are expected to be mild, the strengthening of a “tough” flu season is already becoming worrying in terms of hospital claims. Furthermore, according to Andrea Jiménez, there are also others respiratory viruses such as bronchiolitis they are getting to make the scenario worse. “We hope that vaccination, common sense and the virulence of the viruses themselves do not plunge us into a catastrophic scenario,” he says.
THE IMPORTANCE OF VACCINATION
As we have mentioned, to address this future scenario, the countries of the European Union, including Spain, have already started the vaccination campaign which, this year, brings together both doses in a single consultation: covid and influenza. “This winter it is important to get vaccinated, both with the second recall (fourth dose) of covid from flu shot this year, especially those over 60 years old. for the omicron variants that will probably arrive and for the flu that, after his absence, has created an immune debt in some sectors ”, explains this doctor from Malaga.
In this sense, according to most experts, there are risk groups that must be vaccinated against the flu, and then a general vaccination, recommended by the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, for all children over the age of six months. What is clear, as Dr. Jiménez points out, is that “it is necessary vrock at risk children since morbidity and mortality, ie the possibility of serious complications for health after flu infection, it is more common, ” he explains.
In addition, it should also be remembered that healthy children are i main source of diffusion of the flu in the family, as they eliminate a major viral load and longer than adults, and the evidence on this is very clear. Therefore, influenza vaccination in children has been shown to be highly effective in reducing morbidity and mortality in other populations as well, including adults and high-risk patients.
In general, it is believed that the flu is considered a very mild illness, but it should be noted that the children admitted to the hospital are mostly healthy children (two out of three) with no risk factors. In fact, contrary to popular belief, more children are hospitalized for acute flu each year compared to people over 65, a group that has long been systematically included in annual flu vaccination campaigns.
To guarantee their effectiveness, Jiménez assures this newspaper that the most sensible and effective thing to do is that “vaccination campaigns are as close as possible to the peak circulation of the virus to achieve safe immune reinforcement and prevent premature decay of antibodies, ” he concludes.
