[ad_1]
The beginning of the fall season and the coming winter months in the Northern Hemisphere means that the influenza (flu) season is underway. However, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic 2019 (COVID-19) adds an additional threat to people’s health and well-being.
ContagionLive, sister publication of HCPLive®, recently released its e-book, “Covid-19 and the Flu: What Doctors Need to Know,” which offers information and expert opinions on the current flu season.
The conversation around this dual threat has been particularly strong, especially among the infectious disease community. The e-book summarizes these top key points and findings so that the physician and healthcare provider can be better equipped to deal with the uncertain months ahead.
The Greater Importance of Flu Vaccination
It’s even more essential to encourage patients to get a flu shot this year. With COVID-19 cases on the rise, the United States is facing its first winter with this new coronavirus. Despite all the uncertainties about what this means for the physical and mental well-being of patients, physicians must do everything possible to ensure that the risk of viral transmission is reduced.
Therefore, easier access to vaccines, public health resources, and medical care becomes more imperative as the likelihood of contracting respiratory illnesses increases during these months.
Combat Vaccine Vaccination and Misinformation
Of course, healthcare providers can experience resistance from patients who are skeptical of vaccines.
One reason behind this hesitancy can be largely attributed to misinformed beliefs and convictions on the part of patients. Therefore, it is necessary for the provider to approach this challenge with patience, conversation, and facts.
“You can’t change their sight simply by telling them, ‘You need to change your sight. I disagree with you, ”said Robert Redfield, MD, director of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt.
“No, it will take time and dialogue to get people out of what I call ‘vaccine hesitancy.’ [which derives] either out of fear or misinformation, to lead them to what I’m trying to coin ‘vaccine with confidence’, he continued.
Southern Hemisphere Flu Estimates Offer Potential Hope
Countries in the southern hemisphere that have already experienced their winter months have reported a milder flu season.
“The current flu season is the mildest we have had since records were kept (around 20 years),” Kim Sampson, CEO of the Immunization Coalition of Australia, said in an email to Contagion®.
“This has been due to the rapid action taken to protect the community from COVID-19 (implementation of social distancing rules, working from home, good hand hygiene and the use of masks). We also had a record number of people vaccinated against influenza. If the United States can get the same kind of community response, it should follow a mild flu season, ”he said.
However, northern countries, including the United States, still need to be vigilant about potential challenges and setbacks that can lead to a very different trajectory.
The possibility of co-infection with COVID-19 and influenza
Healthcare providers should be aware of the risks and treatment strategies for COVID-19 infection and influenza. Certain therapies used to treat one infection can exacerbate the other; therefore, approaches for these patients should be evaluated on the basis of individual risks and benefits.
However, there is currently limited data that offers a complete understanding of the impact of co-infection. And yet it remains reasonable to assume that these patients face an increased risk of disease progression, severe disease, and a longer recovery time.
To read expert interviews, information on flu therapies, how a great US healthcare system is gearing up for the season, and more, go here to download the free e-book.
