As every year, around this time the flu vaccination campaign begins. Experts advise getting a flu vaccine for older and high-risk people, including those with previous pathologies, pregnant women, health personnel and caregivers of people at risk of complications.
Unfortunately, just over half of the population at risk in Spain goes every year to get vaccinated. It is a rate well below that recommended by the World Health Organization.
There are many reasons for this. For example, not having contracted the flu in previous years or, in case of having suffered the disease, suffering from it in a mild or moderate way. This would lead to the mistaken thought of “why would I have to get vaccinated every year if I never got infected?”
This year, in the middle of the second wave of covid-19 cases and with the flu season just around the corner, the temporal coincidence of both viruses can be a very serious problem in the coming months. Although this seasonal disease seems to have completely disappeared in other countries, it cannot be assumed so soon that it will not reach Europe and Spain.
So far this year, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 1 million people. On the other hand, it is estimated that up to 650,000 people die each year from the flu. Therefore, if each of these diseases is capable of putting the health system in trouble, if both occur at the same time, disaster is guaranteed.
So far, the coronavirus pandemic is far from being controlled and no vaccine is yet available or expected in the short term.
Therefore, it is crucial to make use of one of the vaccines that we do have available: the flu.
The vaccine against this virus may not be perfect and you will need to be vaccinated every year. However, if we can be sure of one thing, it is that it saves lives. This reason is more than enough to get vaccinated, even if the coronavirus did not exist.
Various studies show that the administration of this vaccine is associated with a reduction of around 50% of deaths in people over 65 years of age and people at risk.
For this reason, the reasons why it is more important than ever to get vaccinated against the flu this year are many.
1. It is possible to get infected with both viruses at the same time
Co-infection with the virus that causes covid-19 and the influenza virus has not been studied in detail. Although it seems like it is a rare event, it does seem like it is possible.
In addition, another more recent study shows that people infected with both viruses at the same time sickened more than patients with only covid-19.
2. There are no beds in intensive care for everyone
It’s sad, but it’s true. The covid-19 pandemic has led to the collapse of the health system and has shown a shortage of personnel, beds for ICUs and ventilators. All this without being in flu season.
If we take into account that a part of the people infected by the flu will also need intensive care, the math does not add up. Therefore, any measure that helps reduce the number of flu cases will be of great help so that we can all receive the health care we need.
3. They have very similar symptoms
Covid-19 and influenza are contagious respiratory diseases caused by different viruses but whose common symptoms are very similar and difficult to differentiate. These symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, runny nose, and muscle pain.
For this reason, the best way to distinguish the two infections and confirm the diagnosis is by performing a screening test. If we have learned something in the first wave, it is that there are no tests for everyone, either due to lack of personnel, reagents or machinery. Therefore, if people have to be tested with COVID-19 and also those infected with the flu, the test system could be saturated.
In addition, if we cannot differentiate which virus we are dealing with, this could lead to a delay in diagnosis , the initiation of the wrong treatments, and unnecessary quarantine or isolation measures.
In summary, this year it is more important than ever to get vaccinated against the flu to protect ourselves and those around us. However, it must be taken into account that the doses available to countries, although higher than in other years, are limited and are already causing traffic jams and shortages in some centers. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize vaccines among the population at risk.
This small gesture is of vital importance to avoid complications in case of being infected by the new coronavirus and will help alleviate the effects of the covid-19 pandemic.
Jose M Jimenez Guardeño, Researcher in the Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London and Ana María Ortega-Prieto, Postdoctoral research associate, King’s College London
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.
