The WHO explained why there are no more flu patients, only COVID-19

Measures taken by countries to combat the coronavirus pandemic have eradicated the incidence of influenza. This was stated on Monday at a briefing by the head of the pandemic and epidemic diseases department of the WHO Sylvia Bryand, quoted by “Focus”.

“We are monitoring the seasonal incidence of influenza and we can say that we are seeing extremely low circulation in the Southern Hemisphere,” she said.

“There may be a number of explanations for this, but the most realistic hypothesis is that the measures they have taken to combat the coronavirus are extremely effective against seasonal flu.”

The WHO, Bryand stressed, will continue to monitor closely how the situation will change, especially against the background of coronavirus vaccination.

“At this stage, however, we can conclude that measures that are effective in combating the coronavirus are extremely effective in combating other infectious diseases,” said the expert.

Earlier it became clear that in 2020, according to a number of studies, the incidence of influenza has decreased by more than 90%.

According to the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, 42.9 million people fell ill in the 2018-2019 flu season alone, of whom 647,000 were hospitalized and 61,200 died.

For 2017-2019 there are 48.8 million cases, 959 thousand hospitalizations and 79,400 deaths.

As influenza expert Abraham Palash writes in the Health Awareness Value of Vaccines 2019 report, about one billion cases of influenza are registered worldwide each year, and this virus causes between 290,000 and 650,000 deaths annually.

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