/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/KXDKYAHWTBAO3PJXPBGZBINGOA.jpg)
Today, in Spain, many conversations revolve around family members, friends or colleagues who suffer from a stuffy nose, a cough, a cold or all of these symptoms at the same time. For simple seasonal reasons, every year when winter arrives, the impression that everyone will eventually get sick comes back like clockwork. With the cold and lack of ventilation in enclosed spaces, viruses like influenza and COVID-19 find ideal conditions to spread. In the wake of the pandemic, the feeling of being caught in a spiral of infection is heightened this time of year, and masks and social distancing are playing a role in protecting people from the flu. But are colds really hitting us harder and more often than before?
“There is currently an increase in cases and this is continuing, which is normal. Today, in health centers, many patients come for treatment with colds and respiratory infections, although most cases are not serious.” Spanish Association of Physicians Respiratory Diseases explains Dr. Leovigildo Ginel, Secretary of the Working Group. Semergen). The doctor stressed that after a pandemic winter – when flu, colds and common colds all but disappear, replaced by covid-19 – it is normal for the immune system to have to adapt to the coexistence of more viruses.
Data from the Carlos III Health Institute show that during the 49th week of 2023, hospitalizations for acute respiratory infections due to influenza and covid-19 are increasing, while hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections are declining. However, the number of cases is currently not higher than last winter, but experts remain cautious, considering that the infection season has just begun and will peak in January and February.
As far as experts know, respiratory viruses have not become more aggressive in recent years. Toni Trilla, an epidemiologist at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, finds a plausible reason in the so-called “immunity debt”. “Because we were not exposed to other pathogens during the coronavirus epidemic, and now that these pathogens are back in circulation, they may hit us harder because we have lost our training,” he noted. Add to that the move away from masks and Containment measures such as social distancing mean people are once again exposed to a virus they are no longer used to.
“When one virus (such as SARS-CoV-2) spreads in large numbers, it is normal for other viruses to stop spreading. This is called ecological competition.” Vall D’hospital, Hebron. Considering that 25% of the population gets the flu during a normal flu season, epidemiologists estimate that within the next two to three years, people will return to pre-pandemic immunity levels. “This calculation clearly does not apply to very young children, who do not reach adult levels of acquired immunity until they are six years old,” he added.
Immunity, whether natural immunity that develops after an illness or that produced by a vaccine, is limited in time because viruses mutate frequently. “People who have been exposed to a circulating virus this year may no longer be protected next year. That is why vaccination can never be too much, even for young people with no previous medical history,” Campings insisted. According to the Ministry of Health, more than 1.7 million people, or 60% of the population over 80 years of age, have been vaccinated against Covid-19 sub-variants this quarter. While the biggest news was the RSV vaccination campaign for babies, it resulted in bronchiolitis in the vast majority of babies, resulting in one in 56 babies with bronchiolitis being hospitalized.
More viruses are spreading
One of the things that has definitely changed is the landscape of viral spread, which has become more complex since the coronavirus arrived. Amparo Larrauri, head of the Surveillance Group for Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses at the National Center of Epidemiology of the Carlos III Health Institute, acknowledged: “We will never encounter exactly the same situation as before the COVID-19 pandemic.” SARS-CoV-2 is another long-standing pathogen that competes with the spread of other viruses this time of year.” Larrauri explained that over the past two seasons, from October to December, the influenza virus SARS-CoV- 2 and RSV are circulating at the same time, which may lead to the perception that more people are infected with the influenza virus. Breathing process in a crowd.
Greater attention to respiratory symptoms will also be a key factor in reinforcing this feeling. Experts emphasize that after the outbreak, a little cough is enough to trigger all alarms, and people are more aware of the danger of infection. “We are all more sensitive. We notice the symptoms and we worry about not being able to visit our grandparents if we get COVID-19,” said Salvador Peiró, director of the research area of health services at Fisabio.
Julian Domínguez, head of the preventive medicine service at Ceuta Hospital, recognizes that every time there is a new epidemic wave, we start with a very small number of common cases, and once the number starts to grow, people will subjectively It feels like everything in the world has changed. I got sick. He said: “When two or three infected people appear in the inpatient ward at the same time, people comment that there are many infected people, but in fact the data in the weeks before and after are absolutely normal.”
You can follow National Team Health and Wellbeing exist Facebook, X and Instagram.