Professor Čaplinskas warned: in the fall of 2022 there is another major pandemic, it will be determined by the current situation

In fact, according to data from the National Center for Public Health (NVSC), the global incidence of influenza and acute infections of the upper respiratory tract (CVDI) in the 52nd week of 2020, that is, from December 21 to 27, was 25 , 4 cases. 10,000 inhabitants, while last year the incidence rate of influenza and CVD at the same time was 31, and during the 2018-2019 influenza season, up to 42.7 cases per 10,000. population.

In general, during 2018-2019. The incidence of influenza and CVD was significantly higher in 2019-2020. during the season, and this year it is even significantly lower than the previous season.

Not only that, according to the NVSC, no one has received flu treatment in hospitals this flu season.

Professor Saulius Čaplinskas, director of the Center for Communicable Diseases and AIDS (ULAC), told Delfi that he sees two main reasons why we are hearing less about the flu right now.

“One thing, of course, is that people’s behavior has changed and with caution covid, people are naturally less prone to colds and flu.

The second thing is that ULAC has been prohibited from communicating about the flu. The National Center for Public Health simply cannot and does not have the resources to do so. Oh, because we are forbidden to talk about it, we communicate less. It is clear that it is not good for the public if the information and the right to know what is happening are limited, ”said S. Čaplinskas.

Health professionals also note that people are more intimidated by the coronavirus and the fact that COVID-19 infection and influenza can complicate each other, causing people to be more vaccinated against influenza this fall. The director of several medical institutions has noticed an increase in people’s vaccinations this year.

“The need for flu vaccines in 2020 was really high, because many health policy officials in the European Union and Lithuania have mentioned that it is especially difficult to contract both strains of the virus. As a result, in 2020, compared to 2019, people were vaccinated very actively. Who can deny that it really helped reduce the incidence of influenza? “- said Vitalijus Orlovas, General Director of Affidea Lietuva Diagnostic Centers.

Still, Professor S. Čaplinskas warned that the flu will not go away anywhere and that in the future it may even strike with double force.

“It is anticipated that in 2022 we will have a major flu outbreak again, as there will be many people who have not been exposed to the flu and have not had it. If they have not yet been vaccinated, it will simply result in a large layer of susceptible people to the flu ”, pointed out S. Čaplinskas.

The professor added: “Experts predict that we can expect a flu spike in the fall of 2022. The flu virus is still spreading, it is still mutating. So there is probably more flu than coronavirus. “

At the same time, S. Čaplinskas warned that we never know when a new zoonosis may reappear and cause a new pandemic, about which the director of the World Health Organization warned a few days ago.

“It just came to our attention then. Like this long-predicted coronavirus outbreak, it was unclear when, what virus would do it, and from where it would spread. But that would be the case.

Now it predicts exactly the same, and so will the future. Today we cannot answer only to what extent, which virus and from which countries ”, said the professor.