it has been identified in Israel, but it is not a rare condition; not a variant or a new disease but two infections that coexist (and this, in the most fragile, could cause a more serious disease). To mitigate the risk, it is good to proceed with the double vaccine: flu and Covid
What is Flurona?
It is a’simultaneous flu infection of type A or B and from coronavirus Sars-CoV-2. In practice, a person is infected with Covid-19 and flu at the same time. The term Flurona is the crasis between flu, flu in English, and rona, a contraction of coronavirus. It is not a scientific name but the word was coined last December 30 by an Israeli newspaper, Ynet, which reported a pregnant woman who was neither vaccinated against Covid nor against the flu and who had contracted the two viruses at the same time.
Co-infection something unusual?
No, in influenza pandemics, bacterial co-infections are one of the main causes of mortality, but they are less common among Sars-CoV-2 positives, so much so that routine use of antibiotics to manage Covid-19 infection is not recommended. They have also been documented since the beginning of the pandemic co-infections between Sars-CoV2 and other respiratory viruses including rhinoviruses, enteroviruses, flu and other cold coronaviruses in circulation. The first work documenting co-infections between influenza and coronavirus (nine cases) was published by Chinese researchers on The Lancet on March 25, 2020.
Flurona a new disease?
No, as mentioned, a “media” way to define the simultaneous infection of two different viruses, flu and coronavirus. It would be a new disease if the two viruses fused together and spawned one chimera, but something almost impossible and closer to science fiction.
How many cases of Flurona are there?
Some studies estimate that i
3% of Covid positives also live with another viral infection, including flu, but there is no certainty. At the beginning of the pandemic, co-infection was estimated at around 12%: at the time, masks were not yet used by the general population, which also protect against the flu. Once diagnosed with Covid-19 with a molecular swab the patient is treated for that pathology e it is not practice to investigate with another molecular test to understand if the flu or another respiratory virus is also present, which however have overlapping symptoms, therefore many cases they escape tracking.
Flu and Covid together cause a more serious disease?
It is not yet clear whether dual infection can cause more severe disease and how the two viral agents interact with each other, although one pathogen typically prevails over the other. for likely that co-infection in a frail patient may have a more complex course since two inflammatory actions coexist that can cause even important respiratory problems. It should not be forgotten that in the pre-pandemic era, between eight and ten thousand deaths from influenza complications were recorded every year in Italy.
Is it possible to distinguish the symptoms of the flu from those of Covid?
Flu usually begins abruptly, with a high fever and at least one systemic symptom (e.g. fatigue, muscle aches) and a respiratory symptom (such as cough, nasal congestion). The symptoms of Covid are more varied but in any case all overlap with seasonal disorders. With the Omicron variant, symptoms seem milder at least among the vaccinated population and prevail sore throat, cold and runny nose. The loss of taste and smell, characteristic of the first waves of the coronavirus, seems less frequent today. However, it is not possible to distinguish Covid from flu and the only certain way to make a differential diagnosis is to perform a swab. They also exist on the market rapid combined tests for differential diagnosis: in a few minutes they detect if the patient suffering from Covid or flu. However, these are more expensive tests, mainly intended for hospitals or general practitioners who need to accurately test the patients most at risk in order to proceed immediately with the correct therapy.
Can we defend against double infection?
To limit the risk of co-infection as much as possible vaccine against both influenza and Covid recommended. Not an absolute guarantee that you won’t get viral infections, but a way to mitigate the risk of getting a serious illness.
Can a cold affect the results of molecular or antigen tests?
It can affect the antigenic but only if it is performed poorly, especially at home, because the cold mucus is made up of water, exudate and cells and can dilute the result. But if the antigenic, as well as the molecular, is made by an expert hand, the risk of interference is zero.
He cooperated Pierangelo Clerici, president of the Italian Microbiologists Association and of the Italian Federation of Laboratory Scientific Societies
January 3, 2022 (change January 3, 2022 | 11:07 am)
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