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Date Published: 13/10/2021

ARCHIVED - Covid measures make people in Spain more susceptible to flu

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Last winter, there were practically no cases of flu reported in Spain due in part to coronavirus safety regulations

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Covid measures make people in Spain more susceptible to flu

Protective measures against coronavirus, such as masks, extra hand-washing and social distancing, led to a drastic drop in the number of people affected by flu last winter in Spain, but experts are now concerned that this could translate into a loss of acquired immunity and even an increased susceptibility to the disease.

The flu season of 2021/2022 is expected to reach its peak around January next year, but it is difficult to predict how it will affect the population; therefore, the best advice of the professionals is to get the flu jab, which can be taken at the same time as the Covid-19 vaccination.

Last year, “there were practically no cases of the flu”, while in a normal season, it affects between 250 and 300 people per 100,000 inhabitants each week. In 2020, “the line touched absolute zero”, according to the scientific head of the National Flu Center of Valladolid, Iván Sanz.

While at the outset this may appear to be good news, Mr Sanz has warned that as there has been virtually no circulation of the virus for almost two years, the immunity of the population has almost certainly been lowered, and with a relaxation in Covid safety measures, the next season could hit people hard.

The experts are also worried that once the Spanish government begins vaccinating children under 12 against Covid, restrictions will be relaxed even further, which could certainly lead to a harsher flu season. The severity of the flu is “highly conditioned” by many factors, however, and the scientists pointed out that last year, the highest number of people ever got vaccinated against influenza in Spain, something which needs to be encouraged again this winter.

With the flu virus and Covid to begin circulating together in the coming months, there is certainly a possibility that people could catch both at the same time, but this would be “very rare”, according to the experts, with the likelihood dropping even further for those who are double jabbed. In addition, Mr Sanz highlighted the fact the having the flu actually makes it a little more difficult for the coronavirus to get into the system, indicating that both viruses “exclude each other a bit”.

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