At present, in addition to the new coronavirus, another epidemic virus may require more attention.
Whether it is WHO or Influenza monitoring data released by the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , both show that influenza activity this year has increased compared with the previous year.
Recently, influenza in many countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil and other countries are rebounding. Data shows that in early June, the detection rate of influenza in the United States was 5.9%, and in mid-June, the positive rate of influenza tests in Canada was about 8.5%. Nearly 50,000 people were infected in Australia in two weeks at the end of May and early June, and the number of influenza cases in some areas was even 300 times that of the same period last year. This has led to the sale of flu drugs, tissues, etc. in some supermarkets.
According to the latest influenza weekly report of the National Influenza Center on June 17 (6.6-6.12), the proportion of outpatient cases reported by sentinel hospitals in southern provinces was 5.8%, higher than the previous week's level (5.1%) and higher than the same period in 2019-2021 (4.4%, 3.0% and 4.3%).
You should know that 2019 is the flu season. That year, WHO listed influenza as one of the top ten threats to global health. In the six months from September 2019 to March 2020, there were more than 30 million influenza cases in the United States, killing about 20,000 people.
The so-called influenza, its full name is influenza , which is caused by the influenza virus. Many people will relax their vigilance because of the word "cold", but in fact, it is a very different difference from a cold.
First of all, influenza viruses are more likely to invade cells and the symptoms caused are more obvious. Test data show that the virus strain that is popular this year is the H3N2 influenza mutant strain. This strain will cause symptoms such as high fever, general fatigue, and muscle soreness after infecting the human body. Compared with the common cold, such as runny nose and sneezing, it is more like systemic symptoms, especially muscle soreness; secondly, influenza viruses are extremely contagious and can be transmitted through droplets and contact, which is extremely contagious; secondly, influenza viruses mutate a lot and fast, and dozens of influenza viruses mutate into new viruses every year on Earth. This leads to the different flu viruses that each outbreak is from before.
There are about 3 million to 5 million severe influenza cases every year around the world, with a mortality rate of about 10%.
Although it is very troublesome, humans have much more understanding of influenza virus than new crown , so they have never been so nervous. But this year's situation is slightly different. Coupled with the impact of the new crown epidemic, drugs that can be purchased in pharmacies may not be available soon. Most of the sudden increase in influenza cases still have to go to the hospital for treatment, resulting in a surge in the number of outpatient visits and also increasing the risk of cross-infection. Moreover, the symptoms of influenza and the new coronavirus are similar, and there is a risk of misdiagnosis, which puts pressure on prevention and control.
This time, the influenza in my country is the H3N2 subtype. Although it is a common influenza subtype, it has caused a pandemic in history. For example, in mid-July 1968, this subtype of influenza was a global pandemic, with nearly 1 million deaths, which happened to occur in summer.
The reason why influenza has caused trouble again is not only related to climate change and other reasons, but also to the new crown.
Professor Kruger, a master of the German virology community, once publicly stated that long-term lockdown measures bring greater physical and psychological risks to children, and their immune systems lack contact with conventional bacteria and viruses. When they return to society, there will be major outbreaks of various common diseases. An article published in "The Lancet Children and Adolescent Health" at the end of last year pointed out that after New Zealand lifted the epidemic restrictions, there was a retaliatory rebound in the incidence of bronchiolitis in children and chickenpox . In mid-June this year, there were reports in the United States that some children were found to be infected with seven respiratory viruses, including the new coronavirus. American experts believe that this rare phenomenon is because children's immune systems were weakened during the new coronavirus epidemic.
In addition, according to domestic and foreign studies, people are more susceptible to the new coronavirus after being infected with the flu virus, and both viruses are at a higher risk of being severely infected or even dying.
The good news is that American biotechnology company Moderna is researching and developing a new product, a "three-in-one" vaccine against the new coronavirus, seasonal influenza and RSV (respiratory fusion virus, a common virus that causes colds), which may be released by 2024.
Before there is a better way, it is better to get the flu vaccine every year. But for China's northern hemisphere, the corresponding peak season of influenza vaccine sales is concentrated in September-December. Although the batch issuance time for influenza vaccine products this year is obviously ahead of schedule, it is not easy to make an appointment with a vaccine, and many places have already been out of stock. Therefore, the most practical way is to wash your hands frequently, wear a mask, gather less, and ventilate more.
Source | Yangcheng Evening News·Yangchengpai
Editor | Lin Liai
