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ARCHIVED - First cases of flu in children detected in Alicante province
Doctors in Alicante province are reporting a rise in flu cases as Covid infections fall
There has been much in the media about Covid keeping the flu virus at bay, with doctors suggesting the highly contagious Omicron variant may have in fact slowed down the spread of infleunza in Alicante.
But over the last few days, GPs in the province have begun to detect an increase in cases of flu, particularly amongst children.
"There are not lots of cases, but we are detecting the first cases of flu, especially influenza A and B," explained María Garcés, a paediatrician and member of the Spanish Association of Paediatrics.
Although the specialists are not seeing a worryingly large number of child flu infections, "it is fair to say the virus is already circulating more at the moment than in the whole of last year, when there was hardly any incidence", added Garcés.
These first infections in children in Alicante coincide with an escalation of influenza cases in other areas of Spain, according to weekly reports from the Carlos III Health Institute.
In Catalonia, for example, the flu has already reached epidemic levels.
You might like: Omicron or flu? How to tell the difference between symptoms
In addition, flu infections are reappearing as Alicante province and the rest of the Valencia region emerges from the sixth wave of the pandemic, something some experts warned might happen earlier this year.
"We still don't know if the arrival of the flu is due to the fact that the incidence of Covid is falling, and therefore other viruses are entering, or because prevention measures have been relaxed, it could be multifactorial," explained Garcés.
But what is certain is that flu cases are emerging in spring, when the winter virus would normally be in retreat, which is why Garcés and other doctors "do not expect cases to increase excessively".
Despite the presence of the flu virus in classrooms, another Alicante paediatrician, Eugenio de la Cruz, assures that "for the moment it is nothing to be alarmed about".
According to fellow child doctor Eva Suárez, whilst she has noticed an increase in flu cases, there has been a bigger rise in problems caused by other respiratory viruses and allergies "due to the lengthy episode of rain and humidity that we are experiencing in Alicante province".
As for the circulation of the flu virus in adults, for the moment family doctors have not detected a concerning increase in incidence, and hospitals are not reporting a rise in admissions.
The flu normally reaches its peak in Spain in December and January but so far, for the second year running, the dreaded winter epidemic has not made a significant appearance.
Exoerts believe this could be due to anti-Covid measures – such as mask wearing and social distancing – which have had a two-pronged affect.
Another theory is that SARS-CoV-2 is "eating away" at other viruses. Something similar has happened with the respiratory syncytial virus, responsible for bronchiolitis, which barely circulated last winter.
Image: GVA Sanitat
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