What clinicians need to know about the flu season

The beginning of the fall season in the Northern Hemisphere and the next winter month Influenza (influenza) The season is going well.However, in progress Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic It adds an additional threat to personal health and well-being.

ContagionLive, Sister Publishing HCPLive®, Recently published an e-book, Covid-19 and Influenza: What Clinicians Need to Know. It provides insights and expert-led views on the current flu season.

Conversations about this dual threat were particularly lively, especially among the infectious disease communities. E-books extract these key key points and findings, so clinicians and healthcare providers are better prepared to face an uncertain month.

Increasing importance of influenza vaccination

This year, it is becoming increasingly important to encourage patients to be vaccinated against the flu. With the increasing number of cases of COVID-19, 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 health of the patient, clinicians must make every effort to ensure a reduced risk of viral infection.

Therefore, as the likelihood of contracting respiratory illness increases during these months, easier access to vaccinations, public health resources, and health care becomes increasingly essential.

Fighting vaccine hesitation and false information

Of course, healthcare providers may experience resistance from patients who remain skeptical of vaccination.

The reason behind this hesitation may be primarily due to false beliefs and beliefs on the part of the patient. Therefore, providers need to tackle this challenge with patience, conversation, and facts.

“You can’t change their perspective just by telling them.” You need to change your perspective. I disagree with you, “said Robert Redfield, MD, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in an interview with NBC Lester Holt.

“No, it takes time and dialogue to move an individual out of what I call” vaccine controversy. ” [which derives] To bring them from fear and false information to what I am confidently trying to build a vaccine for, “he continued.

Southern Hemisphere Influenza Estimates Offer Potential Hope

Countries in the Southern Hemisphere, which have already experienced months of winter, are reporting a milder flu season.

“The current flu season is the mildest since the record was held (about 20 years),” Kim Sampson, CEO of the Australian Immunization Coalition, said in an email to Contagion®. I am.

“This is due to the swift action taken to protect the community from COVID-19 (enforcement of social distance rules, telecommuting, hand hygiene, wearing masks) and a record number. I have been vaccinated against the flu. If the United States can get the same kind of community response, the mild flu season should continue, “she said.

Nevertheless, northern countries, including the United States, need to remain vigilant for potential challenges and issues that could lead to significantly different orbits.

Possibility of coinfection of COVID-19 and influenza

Healthcare providers need to be aware of the risks and treatment strategies of getting COVID-19 and influenza. Certain treatments used to treat one infection can exacerbate the other. Therefore, approaches to these patients should be evaluated based on individual risks and benefits.

However, there are currently limited data available to comprehensively understand the effects of coinfection. Nevertheless, it is still reasonable to assume that these patients are at increased risk of disease progression, severe illness, and longer time to recovery.

To read expert interviews, insights into flu treatment, how one large US healthcare system prepares for the season, and more. here Download free e-books.