What exactly is 'flurona'? Co-infections with coronavirus and influenza have been described as omicron surges.

A new coronavirus word for the new year?

Many people across the world began the year 2022 by looking for more information on "flurona," after Israel revealed that two young pregnant women tested positive for both the coronavirus and the flu. Doctors have long been concerned about the possible consequences of a "twindemic," in which influenza cases rise while covid-19 infections threaten to overrun hospitals, and have urged people to obtain flu vaccines and coronavirus immunizations. On the other hand, "flurona" refers to a situation in which one individual gets both respiratory diseases at the same time, which health authorities believe is a possibility as incidences of the extremely infectious omicron version of the coronavirus rise this winter throughout the world.

So far, here's what we know.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

• Are cases of flurona new?
• Where has flurona been reported?
• Is flurona more common this year?
• Are flu and covid together more dangerous?
• What are the symptoms of flurona?

Are cases of flurona new?

Many local and international media sources used the term "flurona" after two young pregnant women in Israel tested positive for both the coronavirus and influenza. The co-infection was quickly dubbed "double trouble" by The Sun, a British newspaper. while the term is still relatively new and gaining traction, flu and coronavirus co-infections are not. Flurona, on the other hand, is not a sickness in and of itself; it refers to when a person has been infected with both viruses. Flurona cases have been found in nations such as the United States, Israel, Brazil, the Philippines, and Hungary, some of which were discovered before the name was defined.

According to an article from the Atlantic, cases of the co-infection were first documented in the United States over two years ago. A guy with a severe cough and fever was admitted to a New York hospital in February 2020. The city had not officially recorded any instances of the coronavirus at the time. After testing positive for influenza, the patient was tested for the coronavirus. Results came back a few weeks later, confirming that he, along with three other members of his family, had gotten both viruses.

Where has flurona been reported?

Other recent incidents have occurred in the United States. after getting the coronavirus and the flu at the same time, a Houston teenager spent Christmas Day alone in his bedroom. Alec Zierlein, who had been immunized against the coronavirus but not the flu, was also tested for strep throat, but the findings revealed that he only had the first two infections, which he characterized as "like a little cold." After his diagnosis, Zierlein told ABC News that he had no idea the coronavirus and the flu could "build up on each other," and that he would receive a flu vaccination as a precaution in the future.

ABC reported Wednesday that children in more than one hospital in South Florida have tested positive for both illnesses. Dr. Juan Dumois, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, said he had seen numerous illnesses in children previously. "On rare cases, I've found five distinct viruses in the same youngster." Typically, a youngster in daycare," he explained, asking parents to vaccinate their children.

According to a health authority in the Philippines, such co-infections are not uncommon. According to Edsel Salvana, a member of the national health department's technical advisory committee, the country's first covid-related mortality occurred in early 2020 as a result of a combined case. According to local news channel ABS-CBN, Salvana informed reporters that the early pandemic patient, a Chinese national, had covid-19 and influenza B, as well as streptococcus pneumonia.

The patient, who was the world's first reported covid-19 fatality outside of China, had a fever, cough, and chills, according to an early case report. "It's an awful confluence of circumstances that you're exposed to two infections," Salvana added, reminding the public to acquire flu and pneumonia vaccinations.

According to RTL, Hungary has also discovered at least two flurona cases in recent weeks. Both patients were characterized as being around 30 years old, as was the situation in Israel.

And, at the same time as omicron infections are on the rise, Brazil is dealing with an out-of-season flu outbreak. Flurona has been verified in six cases across three states, according to health experts. Daniel Soranz, the municipal health secretary in Rio de Janeiro, told the Spanish news agency EFE that 17 more cases were being investigated. In one case, a 16-year-old tested positive for both viruses but experienced just minor symptoms, which his mother ascribed to his having completely vaccinated against both viruses, according to Brazilian media.

Is flurona more common this year?

According to Arnon Vizhnitser, the director of gynecology at Israel's Beilinson Hospital, where physicians recently identified two pregnant women with both diseases, incidences of the coronavirus are growing alongside the omicron epidemic, along with cases of influenza A.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Vizhnitser stated that while flu cases were few last year, maybe due to more strict lockdown measures and social distance, they are now surging back.

"This year is different from the last. "Now we have another hurdle," he added, predicting that co-infections will likely remain.

Some nations are expected to be impacted significantly harder by the flu this year, while stringent attempts to curb the spread of the coronavirus looked to have mainly avoided a "twindemic" situation in 2020. that is the situation in the United States, which had record lows when covid rose last winter but is now witnessing an increase in flu cases. The flu season in Europe is also just getting started, and it is projected to be worse this year.

According to Vizhnitser, both pregnant ladies experienced the same symptoms and were treated for fevers. Both were placed in isolation shortly before returning home with healthy kids. Only one of the ladies had been inoculated against the coronavirus, according to Vizhnitser. She, too, had been stimulated. The other patient had gotten no immunization against either virus.

If pregnant patients attend Beilinson, an Israeli hospital, they are tested for both viruses if they show symptoms when they arrive. Some medical staff, as well as persons over the age of 60, are being provided a second booster in Israel, which is rapidly scaling up its immunization program.

Are flu and covid together more dangerous?

While many nations track coronavirus and flu infections, it appears that there is limited data on how many people have both at the same time. As more cases of co-illnesses emerge, health experts and doctors emphasize that coronavirus and flu vaccinations continue to be the best approach to guard against serious infections.

"The sickness is really mild if you are vaccinated," Vizhnitser said of both the coronavirus and the flu. "Women who had not been immunized [against the coronavirus] were quite ill."

It's also possible that some people will be denied testing for both illnesses since hospitals throughout the world use various techniques to treating and diagnosing patients.

What are the symptoms of flurona?

Coronavirus and influenza are respiratory diseases that can produce symptoms comparable to fever, coughing, tiredness, runny nose, sore throat, and diarrhea, as well as muscular and body pains. Both illnesses are potentially lethal, while the severity of each diagnosis is mostly determined by an individual's immune system. Each virus is more dangerous to health workers, the elderly, and people with pre-existing medical disorders.

The World Health Organization says that the viruses are also spread in similar ways, via droplets and aerosols that may be spread by coughing, sneezing, speaking, singing, or inhaling – which is why masks to protect others is generally recommended by experts.

While the term is new and growing in popularity, flu and coronavirus co-infections are not. Furthermore, flurona is not an unique illness.