This year, no patients died of the flu. Is the disease disappearing from Poland for good?

Italian epidemiologists have announced that for the first time in 20 years there has been no flu epidemic in their country. In England, in autumn, the incidence of this disease fell to almost zero, and in Germany it is difficult to talk about an epidemic: this season only about 500 people contracted the virus. Are we also dealing with the disappearance of the flu in Poland?

1. In Poland, not a single person has died from influenza since the beginning of the year. The cases and suspected cases were also much smaller than in the previous flu season
2. Prof. Drobnik, epidemiologist: “If we go back to the so-called “Normal life” and we will give up the regime related to social distancing, washing hands and wearing masks, the flu will return at a similar level as in previous years. The number of sick people in the flu season will be counted in hundreds of thousands “
3. – Let’s vaccinate against both the flu and the coronavirus. Because there is no other way to fight these dangerous pathogens – appeals the doctor
4. You can find out more about COVID-19 vaccinations on the TvoiLokony home page

The epidemiological reports of the National Institute of Hygiene show that since the beginning of this year not a single person has died from influenza, and a total of cases of illness or suspected illness have been recorded. 1 648 542.

This is much less than in the previous 2019/2020 flu season: from October 2019 to the end of December 2020 such cases were recorded almost five million, 65 people died.

Prof. Jarosław Drobnik, the head epidemiologist at the University Teaching Hospital in Wrocław, explains that the improvement in this regard is largely due to covid restrictions.

– Remote work, online school learning, wearing masks, keeping distance and limiting direct interpersonal contacts were particularly important here. Please remember that all these precautions prevent both the influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 from being transmitted by droplets, the doctor notes.

Table: Statistics of influenza incidence, suspected influenza and flu deaths in the epidemiological season 2020/2021.

1. Italy: For the first time in 20 years there has been no flu epidemic. “The disease simply disappeared”

Will the flu come back in the fall?

Does the clear drop in incidence allow us to hope that in the fall, when we are most exposed to colds, there will also be much less flu?

– It seems that if we go back to the so-called “Normal life” and we will give up the regime related to social distance, washing hands and wearing masks, the flu will return at a similar level as in previous years – forecasts prof. General purpose. – Especially if we are reluctant to vaccinate against this acute, contagious disease.

The doctor notes that slightly more people have been vaccinated against influenza this year than in previous years, and therefore the number of cases from September should be lower.

– It is worth getting vaccinated, otherwise the number of sick people in the flu season will be in the hundreds of thousands. And this is a dangerous disease, almost to the same extent as the coronavirus – he warns. It is all the more important that flu infection can attack us at any time of the year, not only seasonally, in autumn.

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Dangerous for the youngest and the oldest

Flu is especially dangerous for the elderly, who usually struggle with multiple comorbidities.

– If such patients become superinfected, the course of the flu is very severe. High fever, chills, cough, pain in muscles and joints cause acute failure of the circulatory and respiratory systems. Unfortunately, flu can be fatal. However, the problem is that some doctors do not consider influenza as the main diagnosis, i.e. the cause of death – the specialist explains.

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The disease is a threat to people with reduced immunity, autoimmune or oncological diseases.

– And also for children who can get the flu relatively mildly, but the complications are much more serious and result in kidney, heart and muscle damage, and in extreme cases fatal consequences for the central nervous system – emphasizes Prof. General purpose.

Influenza also results in laryngological complications and symptoms such as seizures, encephalitis, and encephalopathy.

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Flu: underestimated and underestimated

Experts believe that flu in children is both underestimated and underestimated. Often the diagnosis is made by a test, although the most accurate method is the identification of the genetic material of the virus. The so-called immunochromatographic tests have limited sensitivity. And since the number of false-negative results of antigen detection tests increases with high influenza virus activity, it is advisable to verify them with a genetic test.

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In Poland, the percentage of vaccinating children against influenza is very low and amounts to less than one percent. This is due to, among other things, the low public awareness of influenza and its effects.

Flu vaccination should be compulsory!

In Poland, only about 4 percent of the entire population is vaccinated against influenza, and in this respect we are one of the last places in Europe.

And according to WHO recommendations, flu vaccination among seniors 65+ should be implemented at the level of 75 percent!

Will social campaigns and actions to encourage COVID-19 vaccination increase flu vaccination? According to the doctor from Wrocław, we should use both security devices, because they both protect us.

– Unfortunately, still too many Poles ignore the need for vaccinations and forget that even if they get sick, the course of the infection will be much milder. I believe that both vaccinations in the case of elderly people should be obligatory in Poland, says Drobnik.

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Immunity after a week

Because flu, although it is a seasonal disease and patients usually do not go to the hospital with this diagnosis, can have serious consequences for health and life. Therefore, it is worth remembering to vaccinate against the seasonal flu before or during the flu season, because this will minimize the risk of infection with influenza viruses and prevent the occurrence of serious complications of the disease. And immunity appears extremely quickly, after a week.

– Prevention and education related to vaccinations are essential. Let’s vaccinate ourselves against both the flu and the coronavirus. Because there is no other way to fight these dangerous pathogens – he appeals at the end.

Read also:

1. Three vaccinations every adult should get – it’s not about COVID-19
2. Have we stopped getting flu? New data from the USA
3. Will the government manage to place orders for flu vaccines?
4. This will be another pandemic? People can become infected from birds

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