If you feel there is an unusually high number of people coming down with flu, colds and other viruses this winter then you are not imagining it, according to an infectious disease expert at Lausanne’s CHUV hospital.
Speaking to RTS, Dr. Laurence Senn said there are lot more people suffering from infectious disease this winter than there were in recent years.
The most common infection currently is SARS-CoV-2, also known as Covid. The next most common infection is the rhinovirus, what is typically referred to as a cold. Next on the list are flu and the respiratory syncytial virus, a bug that affects new borns.
According to Senn there is a higher number of infections this year and last year compared to the two winters before that. This is because the habits introduced to combat Covid cut the spread of all viral diseases. Since people began moving and mixing freely again rates of infection have picked up. In addition, lower disease exposure during the pandemic means less natural immunity to colds and flus was developed during that period.
Also, before Covid-19 there was one less significant virus to catch than there is now.
It is also possible to be infected with multiple viruses at the same time. Being infected with SARS-CoV-2 and rhinovirus at the same time is likely to make many people feel pretty lousy. One study from 2021, when people were still being careful about spreading viruses, found 4% of its sample had both Covid (SARS-CoV-2) and rhinovirus simultaneously. With viruses spreading freely again the coinfection rate is likely to be higher.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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