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accessHealthNews.net
February 2022
Volume 8 | Issue No. 54
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T
he ongoing wave of the Omicron COVID-19
variant, relaxed
quarantine guidelines, and flu
season are combining to create a perfect storm
for a new public health concern.
Flurona, a co-
infection of COVID-19 and influenza, has been
reported in the U.S., Israel, and Asia. According
to
COVID-19 and Influenza Co-Infection: A
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, the
frequency of co-infection among COVID-positive
patients in the U.S. is 0.4% and expected to rise.
Flurona is a combination of the two viruses and
affects both upper and lower respiratory tracts
and their functions, such as breathing. After
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC)
shortened isolation guidelines to five
days after experiencing symptoms or being
asymptomatic, a growing concern has risen
regarding the negative impact this may have on
the already scarce workforce.
Schools are taking an especially hard hit as
more students, teachers, and substitute teachers
demonstrate symptoms of or test positive for
COVID-19 or the flu. As a result,
Missouri schools
are seeing administrative staff, such as principals
and counselors filling in, to ensure an adult is
in every classroom. As schools and businesses
remain open, winter temperatures drop, and
peak flu season continues, Flurona is a growing
concern for community members of all ages.
UNDERSTANDING FLURONA
Co-infections occur when someone is infected
with two or more disease-causing organisms
at once. This includes the combination of two
viruses or a virus and a bacterial infection.
Bacterial co-infections with the influenza virus
were responsible for a quarter of severe or fatal
cases during the 2009 flu pandemic. Flurona,
seen today, is the combination of two viruses:
COVID-19 and influenza.
Co-infections are common during pandemics
due to shared methods of travel, among other
factors. The possibility of Flurona was
identified
early on in the pandemic by doctors treating
patients in Wuhan, China, where more than half
of 307 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 also
tested positive for the flu. This was determined to
be the result of factors including the time of year,
a localized flu outbreak, and social determinants
of health affecting patients.
Flurona and similar co-infections are expected
to become more common in the northern
hemisphere during winter and flu season due to
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and increased
frequency of "social mixing" as public mandates
remain relaxed and varied. Because COVID-19
and the flu present similarly, travel similarly, and
both affect breathing and other respiratory
functions, it's important to get tested for and
treat both viruses as soon as symptoms occur – it
may not be just the flu.
Both viruses are spread via droplets from
breathing, coughing, and sneezing, as well as
surfaces contaminated with these droplets.
To best prevent
Flurona, it's important
to continue following
COVID-19 and
flu season safety
guidelines, such as
sanitizing hands and
surfaces frequently,
wearing a fitted mask
around others, and
socially distancing
when possible.
