فلورونا: ما نعرفه عن العدوى المشتركة بين كوفيد-19 والإنفلونزا

ما هو فلورونا؟

Flurona is a term coined to describe the condition of being infected with كوفيد-19 و الإنفلونزا at the same time. "We call this a 'mixed infection' and it happens with other pathogens as well. I know of several cases reported recently in the US and abroad," says Rodney E. Rohde, a professor of clinical laboratory science and an infectious disease specialist at Texas State University.

"في الولايات المتحدة، لقد رأيت توثيقًا لحالة في كانساس حيث كان المريض في وحدة العناية المركزة. كما ظهرت الحالة في رجل من ميسيسيبي، وطفل من تكساس، ومراهق من كاليفورنيا مع مرض وأعراض أقل خطورة إلى خفيفة."

People have been getting infected with both كوفيد-19 و الإنفلونزا simultaneously since the start of the pandemic. From late January to late March 2020, الباحثون in China found almost 100 cases of patients testing positive for both illnesses in Wuhan. In May 2020, researchers in Barcelona published a paper in The Lancet describing four people who had both illnesses.

With cases of كوفيد-19 rising rapidly in the UK due to the easily transmissible Omicron variant, there are reportedly more cases of people being infected with both viruses. According to the latest بيانات الحكومة, Northern England is seeing a particular rise in كوفيد-19 cases. However, according to the التقرير الأخير from the UK Health Security Agency, flu remains at low levels, according to metrics including hospital admissions.

At the start of the pandemic, البيانات collected in England suggested that people infected with both الإنفلونزا و كوفيد-19 were more than twice as likely to die as someone with the COVID-19 alone. An analysis by الصحة العامة في إنجلترا of cases from January to April 2020 found that people with the two viruses were more at risk of severe illness. Most cases of co-infection were in older people and more than half of them died.

However, it's important to note that at this time, لقاحات COVID-19 were unavailable to the public. Additionally, cases of COVID-19 and flu co-infection appeared to be rare. Of the 19,256 people analysed for the study, 56 people were found to have both illnesses. A separate دراسة in New York City found that only 36 of 1,200 COVID-19 patients had other respiratory viruses such as those that cause الإنفلونزا or the نزلات البرد at the same time.

"يقول رود: "أنا ومعظم الخبراء نعتقد أنه ليس شائعًا جدًا. لا توجد بيانات وطنية أو عالمية حاليًا لوضع رقم دقيق له".

"There may have been more cases of mixed infections at the beginning of the pandemic for the simple reason that there was more الإنفلونزا virus in circulation in early 2020. Thankfully, flu infections were at an all-time low last year. We will be following influenza incidence and prevalence closely in 2022 to see if it rebounds to pre-pandemic rates."

With COVID-19 كوفيد-19 now widely available, getting infected with both COVID-19 and the flu doesn't necessarily mean you will become more unwell. لقاحات COVID-19 are providing good protection against severe illness and hospitalisation, particularly if you have a booster as well as your primary course of vaccination. A recent study in the journal Cell found that having a جرعة معززة achieved "potent" protection against becoming seriously unwell with أوميكرون.

"Like the Centers for Disease Control and most experts recommend, I believe it is critical to be vaccinated for both of these infections - الإنفلونزا و كوفيد-19. إحدى المشاكل مع هذين الممرضين (والعديد من العوامل التنفسية) هي أنهما يمكن أن يسببا العديد من نفس العلامات والأعراض."

Therefore, it's important to get a اختبار COVID-19 if you have any common cold or flu-like symptoms.

Unvaccinated adults are at greater risk of contracting كوفيد-19 and becoming very unwell from it. People who refuse to have COVID-19 vaccines may also be less likely to have the flu jab too, which can leave them susceptible to both viruses. The best way to protect yourself from both COVID-19 and flu is to be fully مطعمًا بالكامل against both.

You can get a COVID-19 vaccine if you're aged 16 or over. A booster dose of the كوفيد-19 vaccine is available for everyone aged 18 and over. It is also available to some people aged 16 and over who have had two doses of the vaccine at least three months previously.

الأطفال under the age of 12 who are too young to get vaccinated against COVID-19 may be more likely to contract the virus. Additionally, people who are already vulnerable, such as those with underlying health conditions or the elderly, may become more unwell if they have كوفيد-19 and flu at the same time.

All children aged 12 to 15 can get a first and second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and a third dose is being offered to people aged 12 and over who had a severely weakened جهاز المناعة when they had their first two doses - for example, those who had or have a سرطان الدم such as اللوكيميا.

The لقاح الإنفلونزا is given free on the NHS to people who are 50 and over, have certain health conditions, are حامل ,، يتلقون رعاية سكنية طويلة الأمد أو هم المسؤولون الرئيسيون عن رعاية شخص مسن أو معاق.

You can also get your flu jab for free if you live with someone who is more likely to get infections (such as someone who has فيروس نقص المناعة البشرية or is having certain treatments for cancer) or if you are a frontline health or social care worker. If you are not eligible for a free flu vaccine on the NHS, some pharmacies are offering the jab for a fee of around £15 - you can find details of pharmacists offering the vaccine and book an appointment online at الوصول إلى المريض.