Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 13th-Maria Van Kierke Hoff, technical director of the World Health Organization’s health emergency project, pointed out on the 12th that with the increase of people’s social activities and the prevalence of other respiratory pathogens such as influenza virus in spring, it is expected that COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases will break out at the same time in the future. She urged countries to prepare for this and ensure the integrated operation of respiratory disease surveillance systems. Recently, many countries around the world have also reported cases of "double infection" of Covid-19 and influenza virus.
Will the symptoms of being infected with both viruses be more serious? How to prevent it?
Covid-19 and influenza virus belong to respiratory viruses, and they may have similar symptoms after infection, such as cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, headache, etc., and both of them are spread by droplets and aerosols when talking, coughing and sneezing.
Experts said that winter is the high incidence of influenza, and the Omicron strain of COVID-19 mutant virus is rampant, and the possibility of contracting influenza and COVID-19 is also increasing. Due to the limited data, it is not clear whether double infection will lead to more serious consequences, but simultaneous infection with two viruses may bring a greater blow to the human immune system.
WHO emphasizes that the most effective way to prevent the serious consequences of double infection of COVID-19 and influenza is to vaccinate COVID-19 vaccine and influenza vaccine respectively, and at the same time, continue to take preventive measures, such as keeping social distance, wearing masks, washing hands frequently and strengthening indoor ventilation.
It should be noted that experts do not recommend to vaccinate COVID-19 vaccine and influenza vaccine at the same time. According to China’s Technical Guidelines for Vaccination in Covid-19 (First Edition), it is suggested in principle that the interval between influenza vaccination and Covid-19 vaccination should be more than 14 days.
Experts also advise people to pay attention to cold and warmth, take proper physical exercise, strengthen nutrition and build up their physique. If you have symptoms such as respiratory discomfort and fever, you should seek medical attention in time, pay attention to home isolation, go to work and class without illness, and wear masks when contacting family members or going to the hospital to avoid cross-infection.
关于作者