Influenza and its consequences
Introduction
During the year 2020, the Pandemia for the COVID-19 has monopolized all the headlines. However, we all know that it is not the only potentially lethal respiratory disease that we face in our daily work. And, before the arrival of SARS-COV-2, the influenza virus was considered the first cause of hospitalization for respiratory infections in the country.
In fact, the last pandemic decreed by WHO in 2009, was precisely because of a virus of this family: influenzavirus to H1N1 subtype. Which, despite being less lethal than the new coronavirus caused 18.600 deaths in a little more than a year. Therefore, WHO decreed epidemiological surveillance of this disease, which has not been suspended despite the current pandemic.
Developing
There are 4 types of influenzavirus, of which only two are capable of causing seasonal influenza: A (with their subtypes H1N1 and H3N2) and B. According to data provided by the Ministry of Public Health (MSP), in 2019 365 cases of influenza were reported with only 10 killed by the disease;which was an improvement with respect to previous years.
A pattern has been described according to which seasonal flu has a biannual rebound;The first peak is observed between the months of January and March, while the second is between the months of July and August. Despite these data, this year it will be especially difficult to carry out the proper epidemiological study of this disease due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The symptomatology between COVID-19 and influenza is very similar in the first stages of both diseases, is mainly characterized by: cough, fever, throat and asthenia pain;and sometimes abdominal pain or diarrhea. The medium of contagion is also the same, since both travel through the saliva expelled in small drops when talking, coughing or sneezing.
There is also a greater probability of developing an acute respiratory infection for influenza in vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children under 5 years old, over 65 years of age and people with comorbidities;although in the case of COVID-19 the two are excluded.
The main reason that in the Pandemia for influenza AH1N1 no strict measures of confinement and social distancing have been taken as those we see today, is fundamentally the virulence of SARS-COV-2. Comparing in figures the magnitude of both pandemics, the AH1N1 in 16 months had 493 thousand infected and a little more than 18 thousand deaths;While COVID-19 in 8 months has been 34 million infected, 1 million deaths.
conclusion
A fundamental difference is immunity, since we have a trivalent vaccine against influenzavirus. In fact, at the end of 2019 the MPS activated an influenza containment plan that included the free immunization of 4.5 million Ecuadorians of vulnerable groups;The reorganization of health services, personnel training in primary care centers and promotion of the correct hand hygiene.
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