News 3 october 2021
It is not yet possible to say what the flu season will look like in the coming winter, explains the Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst at the VRT. Normally, the health authorities here look at the developments in the southern hemisphere: the flu is not that bad at the moment. “A number of flu viruses have been detected, but there have been no deaths,” says Van Ranst.
Just like last year, the flu would can stay away. The flu wave may also be much milder than usual this time, because many people are still taking corona measures that also protect against infection with the flu virus. Think of washing your hands and wearing face masks in public transport.
However, Van Ranst also takes into account that the flu epidemic will be worse in the coming months than what we were used to pre-corona. “Because we didn’t have the flu in the winter of 2020-2021, our natural immunity to the flu has diminished,” he explains. “As a result, the group that could get the flu this year is larger than normal.”
OMT member Menno de Jong warned This summer it has also been shown that respiratory viruses can make a significant comeback, because the immunity among the population has declined. For that reason, some researchers even fear a ‘twindemie’.
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