Category: Flu Virus

When the leaveschange colors. When your cozy sweater comes back from its summer vacation in the back of your closet. When everything is flavored with pumpkin spice. It can only mean one thing.

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Flu season is coming.

The flu vaccine and preventive measures like proper hand hygiene are the best defenses for protecting yourself from the many, many strains of flu. Sometimes, that pesky bug gets through anyway, though.

If you have a fever, cough and headache you cant shake, it may be the flu. Stay home, get some rest, use over-the-counter fever-reducing medication and up your fluid intake. Call a doctor if those methods arent doing the trick.

But how long will you be contagious, you wonder? And when do you start being contagious? We talked with infectious disease doctor Sherif Mossad, MD, about flu contagion and how to keep from sharing your flu germs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the time between being exposed to the flu and when you show symptoms is usually about two days. The clock starts ticking on your ability to infect others before your symptoms even appear, though.

You can spread the flu to others even before you know youre sick, Dr. Mossad says. You can be contagious with the flu beginning about a day before you feel symptoms. Youll be most contagious with the flu for the first three or four days after you actually feel sick. Thats why keeping your distance as much as possible for several days is important.

You may continue to be infectious for a week after your symptoms start. Children and adults with weakened immune systems may be contagious even longer.

Dr. Mossad says that after recovering from the flu, your timeframe for returning to normal work and school activities may depend on your job and how frequently you interact with people. Some schools and workplaces have specific guidelines for when you can return to work after the flu or other sicknesses. Check with your employer for any specific procedures.

But a good rule of thumb, Dr. Mossad says, is to stay home until youve been fever-free for at least 24 hours, without using fever-reducing medications, like acetaminophen (Tylenol).

A fever is defined as:

You should also stay home if you have other severe symptoms, such as a non-stop cough or shortness of breath.

The flu is considered a highly contagious disease. According to the CDC, the flu can circulate to others up to about 6 feet away.

And, some people can be infected with the flu without showing symptoms. Research shows that about 8% of the U.S. population gets sick from flu each season. When counting those who are carrying the virus without feeling sick, its believed that infection rates are closer to about 20% of the population. Even if you dont show flu symptoms, you still can spread it to others.

Dr. Mossad explains that the flu spreads when tiny droplets of virus-laden particles are exchanged between people.

The main way people can infect each other with flu is being in close proximity of each other, he adds. The infected person coughs or sneezes and tiny drops of their fluids get on my face or hands, or they land on the table were sharing. Then I touch my nose or my mouth, and now those virus-filled particles are in me.

By the next day, you can start passing the flu to others. The day after that, you may start feeling ill yourself.

To keep healthy this flu season, Dr. Mossad suggests a multi-pronged approach to flu prevention.

The CDC says the first and most important step in preventing flu is to get a flu vaccine each year.

The flu shot is your best defense against the flu, Dr. Mossad stresses. Studies tell us that if you get the flu vaccine, you are much less likely to have a severe illness and much less likely to be hospitalized.

Research shows that, whether you realize it or not, you probably touch your face an average of 23 times each hour. Imagine all the things youve touched since the last time you washed your hands. Now youre about to use those hands to rub your eyes. And chances are, without thinking about it, youre going to do it again in about two minutes.

Washing your hands is the No. 1 way to keep viruses from elbowing their way into your body and making you sick.

Make sure you wash your hands:

Wash your hands thoroughly for about 20 seconds with soap and water. If you arent able to use soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Limit your opportunities for infection by:

The flu is a tricky virus that can find its way in, even for the most vigilant among us. If youre sick and think its the flu, keep your distance to keep it to yourself. Know, too, that symptoms of the flu and symptoms of COVID-19 are easily confused. If you think you may be infected with either virus, call a healthcare provider early on. Early treatment equals better results.

There are medications your doctor can give you to help lessen the effects of the flu, Dr. Mossad says. In order for them to work, youll want to talk with your doctor early. If you wait it out a few days, chances are youll already be through the worst of your symptoms anyway, so the medication isnt going to be as helpful at that point.

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Got Flu? Heres How Long Youll Be Contagious - Health Essentials

Released game birds provide the bulk of opportunities for wing shooters in the UK. In a typical year, governments in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales will release more than 55 million farm-raised pheasants, partridge, and ducks during the lead-up to hunting season.

This isnt a typical year for birds, however, as High Path Avian Influenza has spread across the globe, affecting tens of thousands of wild birds and millions of domesticated birds in recent months. The UK is experiencing its most severe bird flu outbreak in history, with seabirds being hit especially hard by the disease. For this reason, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is calling for an immediate moratorium on game bird releases in 2022.

The urgent call is for governments and the hunting industry to take a fully precautionary approach to the release of potentially infected captive birds, to limit the further catastrophic spread of avian influenza in wild birds, the RSPB wrote in a press release.

The England-based RSPB explained that pheasants raised in commercial facilities in the UK have tested positive for HPAI at least 13 times since 2018. The group says that while the spread of HPAI from farm-raised pheasants to wild birds has not been scientifically proven, a precautionary approach is necessary to protect wild bird populations that are already struggling. They also pointed to a 2014 study from the UKs Animal and Plant Health Agency, which found, among other things, that releasing apparently healthy game birds into the wild poses a risk of [avian flu] transmission to other birds.

Reinforcing the RSPBs concern is the fact that the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus was first identified in a population of domestic waterfowl in China. It was then passed on to wild birds, many of which are migratory species, contributing to its long-range spread across the globe.

The most recent (and ongoing) wave of the virus was first detected in Canadian waterfowl populations last December. The first confirmed case in the United States was discovered the following month in a wigeon that was shot by a South Carolina duck hunter. Since then, HPAI has been detected in 40 states in the US, killing a substantial number of wild ducks and geese in the process. In April, a poultry worker in Colorado tested positive for avian influenza, although the Center for Disease Control says the current risk to the general public remains low.

Read Next: Is Bird Flu a Threat to Wild Ducks and Geese? Heres What All Hunters Need to Know

Regardless, states like Texas and Wyoming have already euthanized entire flocks of pen-raised game birds this year in locations where HPAI was detected. And while the elimination of these birds will have a nominal effect on hunting opportunities in these states when compared to the moratorium proposed by the RSPB, both actions were proposed out of an abundance of caution for wild bird and domestic poultry populations.

In recent months we have witnessed an unfolding catastrophe taking place on our wild birds. It has been emotionally tough to witness, but we are not helpless and there are many positive actions that we can take to help them weather this storm and reduce the risk of exacerbating this crisis, RSPBs director of policy Jeff Knott said on Wednesday. We must all now take responsibility and do everything we can to limit the impact in the immediate term.

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The U.K. Releases 55 Million Game Birds Every Year. This Group Says Not to Release Any Amid Avian Flu Fears - Outdoor Life

While the risks of deaths and hospitalizations from Covid-19 are substantially lower now, navigating this phase of the pandemic can be frustrating and confusing. The coronavirus is less deadly but more transmissible. Theres no set guide to personal behavior. For some, it may continue to be a season of sweaty masks and calculated indoor dining. For others, life is back to normal. Still, questions remain, and making informed choices can help.

So we asked three experts two immunologists and an epidemiologist to weigh in on some of the hundreds of questions weve gathered from readers over the past few weeks, based on their expertise and opinion. A selection of those questions followed by responses from the experts are below. They have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

I feel Covid is now like our annual flu strains. Is there a new type of vaccine coming this fall or winter to help with future variants? Gerry Moss, Naples, Fla.

Akiko Iwasaki: Although it may feel like Covid is now like annual flu, data show it is still causing more hospitalizations and deaths than the flu does. This is why keeping up with vaccines and boosters is so important. There will likely be an Omicron-matched booster in the fall or winter to help protect against the current variant. Myself and others are also working on nasal booster vaccines and universal coronavirus vaccines designed to reduce infection and spread from future variants. Nasal vaccines will not be available this winter, but if there is government support and coordination, they can be available in the near future, potentially in a couple of years.

Im 64, in good health, havent had Covid and have a family wedding coming up, so I went ahead and got a second booster in July. Now Im afraid that if an Omicron-focused vaccine arrives in the fall, I wont be eligible. Did I make a mistake? Mary Murphy, Kansas City, Mo.

Marion Pepper: Getting a booster in July before a big family wedding was a good idea and certainly not a mistake, even with Omicron-focused vaccines likely arriving this fall. The C.D.C. recommends that non-immunocompromised individuals 18 years and older wait for at least five months after their primary Pfizer or Moderna vaccine doses, and people 50 and older wait for at least four months after receiving a first booster prior to getting a subsequent one. These delays are suggested for several reasons, including the fact that immunity wanes over time so more frequent boosting with the same vaccine is not needed and because the immune response also evolves over time and getting an additional vaccine within a shorter time period may impact that response and reduce protection.

However, the Omicron-focused vaccine will contain new targets for the immune system, so these concerns may not be as important as the added breadth of protection introduced by the new vaccine. Most important, if an Omicron-focused vaccine provides better protection against Omicron variants due to these new targets in the vaccine, that would be the most important consideration.

I do not get close to people and am very cautious, even outside. My friend who is equally cautious, maybe more so than I am, just came down with it. Is it just inevitable? Carol Kushner, Fire Island, N.Y.

Nuzzo: Its important to realize that the virus is not going away and will remain a risk for the foreseeable future. Getting infected is not inevitable, but ultimately it does come down to a trade-off: How much are you willing to give up to lower your risks of infection and for how long? We all have different answers to those questions and will choose to take on risks based on how much we value certain activities. We know that tools like masks and tests help lower our risks and outdoor gatherings are safest. But we also know that many very cautious people have gotten infected nonetheless. This suggests it will be hard to dodge the virus forever unless we continue to faithfully avoid indoor gatherings, social events and other activities that enrich our lives. My advice to anyone who is looking to reduce their risk of infection is to mask when you are going to a crowded indoor space, particularly when case counts are increasing. But I dont recommend forgoing important life events or not seeing friends and family, as it doesnt seem like a sustainable or happy way to live.

Are the current at-home tests reliable for BA.5? Gayle DeRose, Victor, N.Y.

Nuzzo: Yes, the home tests continue to be reliable for detecting when you have a contagious infection. With the emergence of Omicron, there were reports of patients developing symptoms before their rapid tests turned positive. This is likely because our immune system may respond to the virus, causing symptoms before the virus grows to levels that are high enough to be contagious and detectable by the rapid tests. It has always been the case that a rapid test represents a snapshot in time. If you test negative, it does not mean that you are free of infection. You may subsequently turn positive if you have symptoms or were exposed to someone who had Covid-19. Rapid tests work best when they are repeated.

My 4-year-old got Covid for the first time this week, as did the rest of our family. He is the only one not vaccinated yet and had the worst symptoms, but it was much like other childhood illnesses. Will he really benefit much from a vaccine now? Morgan Morris, Kansas City, Kan.

Pepper: Studies from our lab and others have demonstrated that while a prior infection provides you with some immune protection, getting an additional vaccine enhances that immune response significantly and creates even greater immune protection. So yes, additional vaccination will help to protect your 4-year-old by boosting that protection and potentially prolonging his immune protection.

Nuzzo: Several studies have demonstrated that hybrid immunity (vaccine plus infection) may be more protective than infection alone. So vaccination would likely add additional protection, as Marion suggested. The C.D.C. recommends delaying vaccination for three months after infection (measured from the date his symptoms started or date of positive test if he didnt have symptoms). By that timing, your 4-year-old would enter the winter and holiday months with some additional protection, which is a benefit given that we tend to see large case increases that time of year.

If youve been vaccinated and boosted and still get Covid, are your odds of having long Covid the same as someone who is unvaccinated? Or do vaccines help reduce the chance of developing long Covid too? If there is a benefit, how large is it? Mark Hurwich, Chicago

Iwasaki: The reported impacts of vaccines in preventing long Covid vary between studies. Some say vaccines halve the odds of long Covid, while others find around a 15 percent reduction. Vaccines are very likely to reduce the risk of developing long Covid, and boosters help this even more.

Pepper: There are also some interesting preliminary studies in animal models suggesting that treatment with antiviral medications may help to prevent some clinical symptoms associated with long Covid, so it will be important to see if that is the case in humans treated with antiviral medications as well.

If were going to see the virus 10 or 15 times over the next five years, does the risk of long Covid increase with every exposure? Its impossible to know what to do with our kids. Carmen McAlister, South Lyon, Mich.

Iwasaki: Based on immune responses that fortify with every exposure, the risk of long Covid is likely to be reduced with every new exposure. However, in certain populations, the risk may be cumulative. Of course, its not possible to say for certain what will happen over the next five years, but most of what we know suggests that multiple exposures will lead to milder outcomes.

Nuzzo: So far, the more rigorous studies show that the risks for long Covid in children seems to be low, occurring much less frequently than among adults who are infected. This along with Dr. Iwasakis explanation of why we may generally expect the risk of long Covid to decrease with subsequent exposures and vaccination may provide some reassurance. But there is some uncertainty here and people will navigate that uncertainty differently.

When it comes to my kids, I am not as worried about long Covid, especially now that they are fully vaccinated. I am more worried about being too restrictive with their childhoods. They missed out on a lot of socialization already, and now that the worst threat is over, weve resumed most of our usual activities. I feel this is important for their growth and development.

To what extent is the world now better prepared for a whole new pandemic? Helen Kara, Uttoxeter, England

Nuzzo: Covid-19 has strengthened the worlds preparedness in important ways. We have seen that with enough political will and scientific determination, we can develop multiple safe and effective vaccines, rapid tests we can use in the privacy and convenience of our own home and new medicines for treating infections. The path taken to develop these tools has the potential to help alleviate human suffering from other serious diseases, including future pandemic threats.

But in watching our continued response to Covid-19 and now monkeypox, I do continue to see deeply concerning gaps in readiness for future pandemics. The biggest one in the United States is that we dont fund and staff our public health departments to be able to meet the demands of infectious disease emergencies like the continuing hazards they are. Instead of letting emergency funding lapse every time political attention to an event wanes, we need to permanently equip every health department with enough staff and modern data systems to effectively respond to infectious disease emergencies, including the possibility of multiple emergencies at the same time.

Pepper: I feel that there is generally a greater understanding and appreciation of the biology of infection and the immune response. My hope is that this heightened awareness of these topics and how scientists and biomedical researchers have been consistently working in the background to create new vaccine technologies and drugs will lead to enhanced funding. Additional funding would speed up drug and vaccine development and ensure that we have the tools in place to respond to the next pandemic when it emerges. The will seems to be there, but we will see if that translates to better funding and preparedness.

Will the pandemic end and if so, how soon? Gary McCormick, Searcy, Ariz.

Nuzzo: There is no defined state that constitutes the end of a pandemic. The virus that caused our last pandemic, 2009 H1N1 influenza, continues to sicken people every year as a seasonal flu virus. But we dont talk about that virus much because it no longer upends our lives as it once did.

Like the H1N1 virus, it is clear that the virus that causes Covid-19 will not disappear. But how it will play out in the coming months and years is uncertain, particularly as the virus continues to evolve. I do think we will reach a point where we move on from having the virus be a daily concern in our lives. In my view, that happens when we no longer worry about hospitals becoming overwhelmed with surges of patients.

Vaccines and treatments help us get there by lessening the viruss ability to severely sicken people or kill them. But not enough of us benefit from the protection that these tools offer. About half of people age 18 and older have received a booster shot. Getting people up-to-date on their vaccinations and ensuring that people who are at high risk for severe illness can access treatments if they get infected is key to ending Covids ability to disrupt our lives, which in my view is what defines a pandemic.

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Opinion | When Will the Pandemic End? And Other Pressing Questions, Answered - The New York Times

By Alexis Blue, University Communications

Today

University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins discussed on Monday how the university is preparing for the convergence of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with flu season and the new threat of monkeypox.

As students prepare to return to campus for the start of the fall semester on Aug. 22, Robbins stressed the importance of vaccines, testing, and continued compassion and vigilance.

"The pandemic is not over though our situation is much improved over the start of last academic year," Robbins said during a virtual briefing on fall semester preparations. "While transmission of COVID-19 remains persistent around the nation, we have successfully navigated the past two years with continued innovation, support and cooperation from students, faculty and staff. We have the tools to continue our success and we know how to use them."

Robbins said students and employees returning to campus are encouraged to take a COVID-19 test through the university's Cats TakeAway Testing program. Test kits are available at several locations across main campus and at other sites. Pre-registration is required before picking up a test.

Robbins also urged university students and employees who haven't already been vaccinated against COVID-19 to schedule an appointment through Campus Health. He encouraged those eligible to get a booster.

He stressed the importance of getting a flu shot as well. Information on flu shots is available on the Campus Health website.

"This is a proven vaccination and an important tool in our public health response to the annual flu season," he said.

Face coverings are optional on campus, and masks are available in all university buildings and classrooms.

"Given the varying levels of personal risk from COVID-19, I encourage members of the university community to have compassion for one another and be respectful of each other's personal choice about mask usage," Robbins said.

Robbins also noted that MERV-13 filters, which are efficient in removing airborne particles of the size that usually transport the COVID-19 virus, remain in all buildings across campus, and HEPA filters and emission monitors are available for classrooms through Facilities Management.

Additional information on the university's response to the pandemic is available on the COVID-19 website, which will be updated to reflect new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robbins said.

Monkeypox tests available

With monkeypox making international headlines, Robbins said the university has received messages of concern from students and their families.

Monkeypox tests are available for students and employees at Campus Health, and Campus Health leaders are working with Pima County to explore treatment and vaccination options, although supplies are limited nationwide, Robbins said. More information on monkeypox is available on the Campus Health website.

While monkeypox can be painful, it rarely leads to hospitalization or death.

"Transmission of monkeypox is possible through everyday activities such as sharing utensils, linens and being in close proximity to respiratory droplets," Robbins said. "Transmission via contaminated surfaces is also possible, making hygiene even more important."

Arizona has had 170 cases on mokeypox, with 14 reported in Pima County, said Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th U.S. surgeon general and a University Distinguished Laureate Professor of Public Health, who joined Robbins during Monday's briefing,

"The good news is the same public health precautions we talk about for flu and we talk about for COVID work for this disease of monkeypox as well," Carmona.

That includes frequent handwashing and limiting contact with people if you feel sick, he said.

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UArizona prepares for start of classes with resources on COVID, flu and monkeypox - University of Arizona News

The new-generation vaccine has in-built insurance against the evolving COVID virus.

The jab made by Moderna - and Pfizer isn't far behind with its own version - still triggers an immune response against the original Wuhan version of the virus. But it also adds protection against the Omicron family of variants that have become so dominant this year.

The so-called bivalent - or twin-target - vaccine is the first to be approved by the UK medical regulator.

Clinical trials have shown it is safe and generates a much higher antibody response to Omicron.

The existing vaccine is less effective against the variant - it still gives good protection against death and hospitalisation, but doesn't stop people from being infected, particularly a few months after having the jab.

Omicron is likely to remain dominant this autumn and winter, so it makes sense to update the jab to try and reduce the level of infections in the population.

But why keep adding genetic material from the original 2020 virus if it has virtually disappeared?

It's because health authorities are hedging their bets.

The pandemic has shown us that the virus is unpredictable. A new variant that more closely resembles the Wuhan strain could come out of the blue. And the original virus caused many more deaths.

Combining protection against multiple viruses is the tried-and-tested approach already used in the flu vaccine.

That jab contains elements from three or, more usually, four different strains of influenza in the hope that it will protect people in the coming months.

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Moderna's new COVID jab still needs to be approved by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. The experts on the Committee will decide whether the vaccine should replace the current Moderna booster.

Everyone over the age of 50, younger people with some medical conditions, and health and care workers are due to have a top-up shot this autumn.

It looks likely that they will get the updated jab.

Moderna has already agreed to supply the bivalent vaccine to EU countries this winter, if it gets the nod from European medical regulators.

The JCVI doesn't always align with its EU counterpart so it could choose to stick with the current vaccine.

Is this the one and only tweak to the vaccine?

You wouldn't bet on it.

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The updated jab protects against a broader range of mutations in the virus. But COVID will keep evolving and could by chance come up with something new that outwits our immune systems.

Then it's back to the drawing board.

More:

Scientists hedging bets with mixed COVID vaccine for original strain and Omicron variants - Sky News

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Letters with appointment times will begin landing on doormats in the coming weeks so NHS Lothian can get ahead of any potential surge in infections.

The booster jabs will be given at the same time as the flu vaccine to those eligible where possible evidence shows that administration of both vaccines together is a safe and efficient way to deliver maximum protection.

Frontline health and social care workers are also eligible for the winter booster jab, with the online portal to book vaccination appointments available from August 22. Appointments for all other priority groups will be made available as the programme progresses. The programme follows advice from the JCVI which recommended vaccinating people as soon as possible to have the best chance of mitigating the impact of Covid-19 over the winter.

Pat Wynne, nurse director for NHS Lothian who is overseeing this years programme, said: All adults aged 65 years or over will be contacted shortly with a scheduled appointment for their COVID-19 booster and flu vaccination.

Covid-19 vaccine immunity reduces and the flu virus changes over time, so its important those eligible top up their protection by getting vaccinated this winter.

Id encourage those who receive an appointment letter through the post to attend. If youre unable to attend, please cancel or reschedule so we can offer the appointment to someone else.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: As was the case in previous rounds of the vaccination programme, spring/summer boosters have enjoyed very high uptake among eligible groups with 86 per cent of older adult care home residents and 93 per cent of those aged 75 and over gaining an important additional layer of protection at a time when Covid cases rose sharply.

Id like to thank all those who have worked so hard to ensure that Scotland still has the highest overall uptake of first, second and third doses in the UK.

Following the JCVIs recommendations, we will roll out the Winter Booster Programme getting jabs in arms from early September to ensure those most at risk are protected over winter.

Vaccination remains the best way to protect your health and those around you I strongly encourage everyone to book in as soon as you get the call up.

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People aged 65 and over in Lothian to get winter booster jab as Scotlands winter vaccination programme gets under way - Edinburgh News

Since 2009, ever since it was first detected in humans, swine Flu continues to circulate as a seasonal Flu virus across the country. Recent reports suggest a rise in cases of Swine Flu (H1N1) in and around cities across India.Swine Flu (H1N1) is contagious and spreads from an infected person via coughing, sneezing, talking, or even spread through contaminated objects or surfaces.'; var randomNumber = Math.random(); var isIndia = (window.geoinfo && window.geoinfo.CountryCode === 'IN') && (window.location.href.indexOf('outsideindia') === -1 ); //console.log(isIndia && randomNumber People at higher risk of developing serious complications of Flu include:

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4in1 flu vaccination can help protect from Swine Flu (H1N1) and three other flu strains - Times of India

Im the mother of two young children. Ive lost the past month to vomiting, sneezing, up-all-night coughing, snot, snot, and more snot. Its not Covid. And thats before I even get to the kids.

You know its true, you can feel it. The signs are everywhere you look. Parents and the child-free alike are dropping like flies. It has felt like the end of days.

Some are calling it the twindemic. I argue that term is too light. Germs are running rampant, partying all night, rocking out at the premiere of 2022: The Winter The Cold Came Back.

Now I can see the email was a portent. It arrived in July. On top of the rona, my two-year-olds daycare advised of the circulation of a tummy bug, conjunctivitis, and hand foot and mouth disease.

READ MORE:* Warning of possible 'twindemic' as influenza looms when borders open* 'Nervous': Concern grows for asthmatic Kiwis as 'severe' flu season looms* Seven-year influenza study needs more Wellington families in quest for better vaccines

A week later, my youngest started vomiting at 2am, because of course it begins in the dead of night when youre in your deepest, cosiest sleep, as per the rules of parenting. The next seven days were punctuated by flushing toilets, washing, the changing of sheets, and apologies to supermarket staff for the clean up in aisle five (or more accurately, the checkout area).

The next week, the first of the school holidays, our seven-year-old started coughing and was a sweaty, clinging snot-fest for the next three days. The two-year-old got it next and then so did I. If you dont have kids, its hard to express the misery of being sick yet not being able to be properly sick as you try and comfort and entertain a tiny, overheated disease vector, without leaving the home.

Michelle Duff/Stuff

Ahikroa Duff Witehira, 2, and Nukutawhiti Duff Witehira, 7, enjoy a moment of brotherly peace. Don't let this picture fool you.

By week three the kids were better but I was in hell. RATs said it wasnt Covid, which Id already had. I coughed all night. I was headachey. The snot came in rivers. Was this what a cold was like and Id just forgotten? I slept all day. There were no doctor's appointments for two weeks.

By the time I came right, with the help of antibiotics from the emergency doctor for what ended up turning into a sinus infection, it marked four weeks of family illness. I dont even know how much sick leave my husband and I took. Days. Weeks.

When your kid has a tummy bug, they cant go back to childcare for 48 hours after their last incident. Some daycares now send children home with a runny nose. And when your child doesnt go to daycare, you cant work, and you still pay the fees. Kiwis took double the amount of sick leave in June than the previous month and there are plenty of whnau who dont even have that.

Everywhere you look someone else is muting their microphone to have a coughing fit. After two years of little to no winter illnesses, is it that we have no immunity to fight off even the most pathetic of viruses? Have we all just become kind of wimps, or are we being slammed with some particularly virulent version of a super-flu?

In the public interest but also to validate myself, I call virologist Dr Sue Huang, principal investigator at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR). Is everyone sick? Is it as bad as we think?

The short answer: yes. And maybe a bit worse.

Dr Huang digs out as-yet-unpublished data that suggests that this year, our level of respiratory illness which includes the common cold is more than twice what it was last year.

Supplied

Dr Sue Huang, principal investigator and virologist at ESR, says this year there are more colds around, and theyre hitting us harder.

The WellKiwis study, a yearly research project that in 2022 involves more than 3000 Wellingtonians, has double the number of people reporting cough, fever, illness, runny nose, sore throat or other respiratory symptoms than in 2021. It is a snapshot of what can be expected in the community, Dr Huang says.

At the peak of the survey, done weekly, the rate of reported illness was 102 per 1000. When people report symptoms, they are then asked to do a test to see if its the flu.

Those results suggest when it comes to influenza, we are a startlingly seven times sicker this year than we were pre-pandemic. When you look at those who tested and had the flu, thats extremely high, says Dr Huang. This winter is quite a heavy winter, with so much illness going on.

In 2020 and 2021, there was no influenza or Covid-19 detected among those in the survey. (Delta, ravaging Auckland last year, had not yet reached Wellington due to lockdown measures.)

At this years peak, 22 per 1000 tested positive for flu compared to 3.3 per 1000 in 2018-19.

This was at comparable levels to Covid, which measured around 27 per 1000.

The only other significant illnesses during the testing period were RSV, which peaked at 18 per 1000 in 2021 following the brief quarantine-free period with Australia in July, when it was imported.

At the more severe end, at its peak this year, influenza-associated hospitalisations were the highest New Zealand has seen for a decade, and almost three times worse than pre-pandemic levels, Dr Huang says.

That happened in mid-June, which is also much earlier than previous years typically, the flu season is the worst around August.

In the last two years, weve had almost no flu. In those years combined ESR reported only 19 cases nationwide, compared to around 5000 pre-pandemic and almost 5500 so far this year. (These are just the cases that get reported to ESR from hospitals and other laboratories, so represent a small proportion of the total number.)

Were not imagining it, then. The next question is why?

Its a combination of three factors.

In late February, New Zealand dropped its quarantine measures and began re-opening the border. Along with Covid-19, that opened the floodgates to strains of influenza, rhinoviruses (the common cold) human metapneumovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

While we are still in the orange traffic light setting, the restrictions are nothing compared to the months of lockdowns, working from home and social distancing of the previous two years.

So the first two reasons we are sick are the most obvious there are more germs around, and because were all mingling again, they are spreading more easily.

STUFF/Stuff

Our natural immunity to even the common cold has been depleted in recent years, as there have been fewer viruses entering the country and weve been social distancing.

The next is immunity.

Typically, our bodies are exposed to various germs, or microbes, which build up our defences as a population to the spread of disease.

This season is, immunologist Helen Petousis-Harris says, payback for the immune holiday we have been on over the last two years.

Youre normally exposed to a lot of viruses, and a lot of the time you dont notice, but what youre doing is maintaining immunity and cross-protection.

With a build up of immunity, people might not get sick at all, or expect to get a more mild case.

This year, when we come across a virus, we dont have that ready-to-go, resistance, she says. So we're more likely to get hit and does that mean we get hit harder? If you have never been exposed to something, youll get a more severe infection, Dr Huang confirms.

Infants and toddlers are among the most vulnerable. While the peak of respiratory illness has declined for adults, ESR figures show hospitalisations of under fives have surged in recent weeks. Dr Jin Russell, a community paediatrician in Auckland, says hospitals have treated far more children with the flu.

This is because pandemic babies have barely any natural protection. We have a crop of very young children who havent been exposed to influenza and have no immunity to it, Dr Russell says. This has been a particularly difficult winter.

The best way to protect against the flu is vaccination. It helps boost antibodies so when you encounter the virus, you have a self-made army ready to fight it.

Yet the government was slow to fund flu vaccinations for children aged three and above, doing so from July 1.

And people got vaccinated later than last year figures are higher now, with almost 25 per cent of the population vaccinated, but were lagging in June, when the peak hit.

This year we got sicker, earlier also because we were less equipped to fight it off but its not too late. University of Otago immunologist and senior lecturer in pathology and molecular medicine Dr Dianne Sika-Paotonu says its still important to get a flu vaccine, as there could be a resurgence later in the year, and hospitals are already under strain.

That goes for childhood vaccinations for other diseases too: A drop in coverage has increased the risk of outbreaks for whooping cough, measles and other preventable illnesses.

There's also one last purely sociological theory about why this winter feels particularly rough.

Psychology teaches us human memories can be short, and selective. Thats why we have more babies, remember the good things about ex-partners, and repress trauma.

Have we all just forgotten how bad colds are?

Combined with general illness fatigue, the state of some of our housing and the rising cost of living, its no wonder these past few months (if youre really going for gold, the past two years) have felt, quite literally, like the dark ages.

Bring on the sun.

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Two years on from our 'immune holiday', it's party time for germs. Here's why - Stuff