Health: Why does the flu epidemic appear more severe and longer this winter?

“An epidemic of marked severity” which leads to “very high hospital activity and a clear increase in deaths” for Public Health France. A “more aggressive and longer-lasting” flu in Spain. 5.3 million sick Germans and, everywhere, in England and Italy too, saturated hospital services.

Five years after the emergence of Covid-19, influenza once again becomes the most severe acute respiratory infection this winter. In addition to very high hospital activity, Europe is also seeing an increase in deaths from influenza.

An epidemic due to the co-circulation of three influenza viruses: A (H1N1) pdm09, A (H3N2) and B/Victoria.

“Loss of a certain immunity”

For specialists, this more severe epidemic would be due to the more intense cold of winter, on the one hand, but also to “the loss of a certain immunity during the Covid-19 pandemic”, on the other hand, as Lorenzo Armenteros, Spanish doctor and spokesperson for the Society of General and Family Physicians (SMGF) told our colleagues at Cadena Ser radio.

For him, it was also “observed, during the winter of the southern hemisphere, that respiratory infections, in particular influenza, were more aggressive and lasted longer due to greater development in the respiratory tract, this which makes the cough last longer and makes us more tired.”

Vaccination and barrier gestures

In its annual bulletin, Santé Publique France recalled that in addition to existing vaccinations and preventive treatments, “the adoption of barrier gestures remains essential to protect oneself from all winter diseases: hand washing, ventilation regular rooms, wearing a mask in the event of symptoms (fever, sore throat or cough), in busy places and in the presence of vulnerable people.

To be effective, vaccination against influenza is generally done before winter. It is still possible to get vaccinated against the flu even if you have to wait around 10 to 14 days for complete vaccination protection.