Barely 48 hours into the New Year 2022, reports about a new virus have begun to make the rounds in major global news outlets.
Israel has reported its first case of the coronavirus disease, and this time, it is not just the common variant that the world is already used to.
According to The Times of Israel, an unvaccinated woman who is reported to be pregnant is the first individual who has been diagnosed with a combined infection of COVID-19 and flu. The disease is known as flurona.
The carrier of this new double tragedy was reported to have developed mild symptoms, representatives of the Beilinson Hospital, located in Petah Tikva assert.
This new report is rumoured to be the first single case of its kind globally. However, counter reports have maintained that cases of flurona have existed in the United States since spring 2020. Meanwhile, in Israel, several flu cases have been reported over the past weeks, with almost 2,000 hospitalisations recorded so far.
The rise in flu cases and its wide reportage was dampened by the staggering number of COVID-19 cases last winter, as global efforts were primarily focused on edging out the pandemic by all possible means within global health standards. With a relative lessening of the coronavirus’ attacks, the flu takeover is now much visible, and health efforts must be doubled to contain the new trend.
Doctors at the Beilinson Hospital have alerted the world that the flurona has similar diagnostics symptoms as the current coronavirus. “The disease is the same. They’re viral and cause difficulty in breathing since both attack the upper respiratory tract”, Arnon Vizhnitser, director of Beilinson Hospital’s gynaecology department, explains.
Israel’s Health Ministry is still studying the new case to unearth more information about the severity of the new virus. Already, the ministry has expressed worries about the number of rising new flu cases in the country.
A week ago, a 31-year-old pregnant woman died in Jerusalem after getting infected with the flu. The deceased was nine months pregnant before her untimely death.
Reports from the medical center where the unnamed pregnant woman died have reported that her child was delivered through a caesarean section process. The child is reported to be hale and hearty.
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Another death, believed to have resulted from flu-related complications, was reported a month ago in Israel. A six-year-old died while sleeping after complaining of fever. According to health experts, Yosef Naim, who hails from Netivot is believed to have suffered from myocarditis, a condition known as an inflamed heart resulting from flu complications.
Rising fears about the flu infection are largely entertained by the Israeli citizens and, indeed, other parts of the world where the flu virus dominates. This is because most patients who test positive for flu and covid show similar symptoms.
Cold chills, fatigue, headache, body aches, sore throat, coughing, sneezing, nausea, shortness of breath, and vomiting are among the symptoms exhibited by carriers of this double-edged virus.
As the world progresses towards a pandemic-free globe, efforts by health officials need to be intensified to quickly win the battle against the various forms of the coronavirus. Initially, when the virus struck, the world battled with a single disease strain. Sooner, the delta variant emerged with a more lethal sting. The short-lived mu variant also made some attempts to decimate the human populace.
The Hantavirus, a kind of coronavirus propagated by the deer mouse, was also reported. During the height of the 2020 pandemic, its reign did not linger for so long. Then, the omicron variant, which caused much global panic, struck. Current border restrictions and a return to isolation and quarantine routine accrue to the much-feared omicron variant of the coronavirus. Global efforts have begun to yield positive returns in the fight against the omicron virus as increased vaccination records, and early diagnosis and reporting of the disease have become popular.
With the new flurona alert, the world is again kept on red alert, and global health experts are making the necessary efforts to understand the new strand and develop appropriate strategies to conquer the new global disturbance.
2022 looks like a good year, but the positive anticipation in favour of a great year must not be truncated by changing disguises of the coronavirus. In view of this, a more united effort must be forged while all must embrace global cooperation towards vaccine reception and adherence to safe health practices.
