The flu, usually throughout the northern hemisphere at this time of year, has become virtually invisible.
It is a small bright spot in the middle of Covid-19, although the number of people rescued by the flu is fading near the number that died due to the new pandemic. It also presents questions that doctors around the world will likely struggle with for years: If the flu can be almost eliminated this season, why not every season? What steps help the most to stop the spread of the flu?
“This is an extremely confusing phenomenon. We are in a historical situation, unbelievable “, said Norio Sugaya, a pediatrician who is part of the influenza committee of the World Health Organization.
WHO says measures taken by people and governments to prevent the spread of Covid-19, such as wearing masks and limiting public gatherings, have likely helped keep the flu alive. Increased rates of flu vaccination may also contribute, it is said.
Another hypothesis claims that the widespread spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, in countries such as the United States, may play a role in blocking the flu by raising people’s immunity against other viruses. A study conducted in the spring of 2020 in New York found that people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were much less likely to carry other common viruses, such as influenza viruses. However, research on this hypothesis is just beginning.