by The flu was almost gone during the three seasons after the Covid pandemic, but in the last weeks of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 it has returned with a vengeance. Health centers are in a situation of high pressure, given the rise in respiratory infections. «The health system is once again in a delicate situation, due to respiratory diseases. Christmas gatherings and the case for social distancing have caused a spike in flu and Covid cases, especially. The covid-19 pandemic that we had to live through taught us a lot about respiratory viruses, their behavior and how to avoid them, and, although 2020 and 2021 seem far away, we cannot forget their teachings,” says Florentino Pérez Raya, president of the Council. General of Nursing.
The nurses estimate that The peak of infections will arrive after the Three Wise Men festival and recommend maximizing caution. The CGE offers these ten tips to avoid flu and coronavirus infections.
Get flu vaccinated. There is still time and, in addition, we must take into account that the vaccination age for influenza has been extended (6-59 months).
Frequent hand washing and use of hydroalcoholic solution.
Avoid social interactions, if you have symptoms, even if the test is negative, to avoid community transmission. Wear a mask, if you have respiratory symptoms, to avoid transmission to those closest to you.
Wear a mask, especially in crowded areas, such as on public transport, health centers and shopping centers; in particular, if you are a person belonging to a risk group.
Take extreme measures in closed spaces and encourage outdoor activities.
If the above is not possible, ventilate during meetings at home, premises, etc.
Avoid sharing personal items, such as drinking or eating utensils (glasses, cutlery, etc.).
Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose with your hands and use disposable tissues.
Clean frequently touched surfaces if there is anyone in the home with symptoms.
If you are going through a respiratory infection right now, we will tell you how to differentiate the symptoms of the three most common: influenza A, covid or cold. Sometimes it is complicated because they share several symptoms, such as cough, general malaise, nasal congestion, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, but we can look at some nuances. In practice we find that there is a predominance in each pathology of one or more symptoms.
Covid is related to feverish spikes from the beginning of the clinical picture along with cough and fatigue. Its evolution can be more rapid, including respiratory difficulty, anosmia, hyposmia, ageusia or hypogeusia (total loss of smell, partial loss of smell, total loss of taste and partial loss of taste respectively).
The flu is most associated with headacherunny nose, sore throat, cough initially more humid than in the coronavirus, and its evolution is more constant over time.
These symptoms are indicative and in some cases a screening test may be necessary to help confirm the diagnosis.
