Influenza cases rise from 20% to 50% in the post COVID era!
22 Feb 2023 • "Doctors believe that the post-Covid altered immunity and lack of flu vaccine acceptance are directly related to the astounding rise in influenza infections over the past few years. The use of antibiotics and self-medication to treat the flu has been condemned by medical professionals. ""There has undoubtedly been a significant increase in influenza cases during the past two months. These are higher than what we observed in the days before Covid ""said the director of the PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine. He documented the symptoms of the patients, including fever, cough, voice loss, and shortness of breath, and noted that an uncontrolled cough, with or without wheezing, was a common sign. Testing frequently revealed influenza A virus infection (H3N2). Other nations are also reporting an increase in H3N2 infections. According to a recent study conducted in the United States, whereas 20.1% of households had influenza A infection during the pre-pandemic influenza seasons, that number rose to 50% in 2021–2022. The study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA) noticed how quickly the flu spread after the pandemic. In the Covid era people were minimally exposed to influenza or respiratory syncytial virus because everyone wore masks at all times. This reduced the body immunity to certain viruses, and because masks are no longer used, infections have increased. According to a Senior Internal Medicine Consultant, flu shots are beneficial for persons with comorbid diseases including diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and COPD but are not particularly common in developing nations like India.
Source: JAMA | Read full story
Source: ET Healthworld | Read full story