Flu: Getting longer and more dangerous

“Influenza has seen a more specific increase in a short period of time due to changes in the virus and weather,” noted Pedro Ibor, vice-president of the School of Physicians and Surgeons of Valencia. “Other times, the peak is from December to February, but now the weather changes more suddenly, which is different this year, and this change has led to a higher peak for influenza,” the doctor added. “Vaccination rates are low, and the MP himself admits this. We have just gone through a pandemic and people are relaxed about vaccinations, but the government has not launched a good publicity campaign. In fact, MPs have adopted walk-in measures Measures such as vaccination, it has now been noticed that by correcting it it has been noticed that the numbers are improving,” Ibor reflected.

Maria Ángeles Medina, president of the Valencian Society of Family and Community Medicine (SOVAMFiC), said: “In all groups, including vulnerable groups, people are letting their guard down and very few are vaccinated,” she said It said this contributed to this peak of infections and severe cases. “The reason this flu is so deadly is because so many people are not vaccinated. People die from the flu every year, but we seem to forget. It’s a seasonal disease and we have to vaccinate every year,” he added .

In addition, Inma Cervera, president of the Spanish Association of Community Primary Care Physicians (Semergen CV), pointed out that this year “influenza cases are more serious than in previous years, especially among people over 80 years old, with a higher incidence of influenza A,” he emphasized. “Influenza numbers are not increasing in the community but more severe and that’s due to the vaccination campaign being late and the strong colds coming earlier because the peak of infections usually starts at the end of January but it has progressed,” he said.

Greater lung involvement

Ibor also argued that the spikes were “concentrated over a short period of time, saturating hospitals with emergencies”. He adds that the main novelties that have had the greatest impact this year are: “The most common symptoms are respiratory processes, there is an increase in cases of pulmonary involvement, which is related to the aging of the population, but there is also “already a lot of bronchiolitis in children.” He noted , the report also emphasized that “fever, headache, and respiratory problems in complex patients will worsen” as the most common symptoms.

Severa also pointed out that the symptoms are usually cold, cough, headache, “but the most important complication is pneumonia, which in chronic patients can cause systemic failure, which is serious for vulnerable groups. Due to influenza, cough, fever And there’s been an increase in admissions, there’s been an increase in admissions for decompensation of chronic underlying pathology caused by respiratory illness or influenza,” he said.

«It is very toxic and lasts very long. Acute symptoms last 4 to 5 days and include high fever, fatigue, and body aches. A residual cough can last up to three weeks,” Medina explains. “People must recognize these warning symptoms and only see a doctor if they develop them, especially in high-risk groups, as the flu itself can make patients already sick,” experts say. Some have decompensated underlying conditions such as respiratory failure or heart failure. “.

Ibor also stressed that this year’s flu course lasts slightly longer, with “acute illness taking about five or six days and recovery about 10 days,” and that the flu is more dangerous in an increasingly older population due to their vulnerability . Medina added: “The concept of the flu could have been trivialized. It’s not a cold, and you don’t get better in two days. Now we live in immediacy, and we hope to be well tomorrow, and that’s not the case with influenza. The acute phase lasts four days.” to five days. Cervera added that in addition to this persistent cough, there have been many cases of nausea and diarrhea this year, and in severe cases, persistent high fever and difficulty breathing.