This year’s flu season The current number of weekly cases is at a very high level and is trending particularly badly.On the other hand, doctors Respiratory syncytial virus surgeMore commonly known as respiratory syncytial virus, it generally causes mild cold-like symptoms in adults, but can be particularly dangerous to very young children and the elderly. is causing high number of hospitalizations, mainly in young children. These spikes in flu and her RSV infections are occurring earlier in the year and at higher than normal levels.
There are many unknowns as to why the flu and RSV are at abnormally high levels. I mean,” he said. Raywat Deonandan, an epidemiologist at the University of Ottawa. “The immune system, unlike a muscle, weakens if you don’t use it.”
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If wearing a mask for a year isn’t the cause, what do we know about why this year’s flu and RSV season is higher than usual?
How does our immune system work?
Our immune system is used much more than we think, even when we are not sick. It’s working.” Sabina Vora-Millerfounder of plain science. As Vohra-Miller points out, respiratory viruses such as influenza have declined in the 2020-2021 season, but our immune systems are constantly exposed to pathogens in food and water. , most of which are never results. sick.
Our immune system also has a very long memory that “acts like a photographic system”. Colin Furness, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto. “It’s very persistent.” Our immune system learns how to recognize certain pathogens it’s seen before.
As we age, our immune system begins to decline. This is the same as photos wrinkle with age. But “for children and healthy adults, unless they have some form of immunocompromised health, those pictures remain very intact,” Furness said. , the body responds to the flu in the same way as it did last time.”
A virus like the flu can evade the immune system only by changing until it becomes unrecognizable, but for viruses and pathogens that do not change much, such as measles or chickenpox, the immune system can evade the system no matter how many years. Even if it’s been a long time, you can fight it off the next time you’re exposed.
Influenza and RSV are seasonal
Although a year of no exposure to respiratory viruses does not affect the immune system, the unusually low number of cases during the 2020-2021 season may explain why influenza and RSV are so common. may be part. “There is some truth to the idea that they are generally making a comeback, as pandemic restrictions have curbed respiratory diseases of all kinds,” Deonandan said.
However, this resurgence has more to do with the seasonality of viruses such as influenza and RSV than with the lack of infectious diseases affecting a person’s immune system. 2020 paperthe low number of respiratory infections, coupled with the seasonality of these viruses, can lead to higher-than-usual infections in later seasons.
Now that schools have reopened, he said, “the virus has rekindled within the school environment.” Pedro Piedra, a virologist at Baylor College of Medicine. All of these viruses circulating among school children have the ripple effect of infecting others in their social circle, such as their parents, and spreading them to their peers.
COVID infection may be affecting our immune system
One of the factors that may have contributed to this year’s unusually bad flu and RSV season is the impact of COVID infection on our immune systems.As Early Evidence Suggests, which may have played a role. “There are many papers suggesting that COVID infection may reduce our ability to fight off future infections of various kinds,” Deonandan said.
This is not a new idea. There are many viruses known to adversely affect our immune system. An example is measles virus, may cause the immune system to “forget” past infections.As 2019 survey It has been shown that measles infection can cause the loss of 11-73% of the body’s antibodies.
We don’t yet know how much COVID can make our immune systems less responsive, who is more susceptible, or what the impact might be. “It’s taking, but it’s okay,” Deonandan said.
Take precautions to reduce risk
of Influenza causes 12 to 52,000 deaths annuallyand the cause of RSV 58,000 to 80,000 hospitalizations per year for children under 5This year tends to be a particularly bad year, but the risks are well established. “Respiratory viral infections before, during and after the pandemic will have a huge impact on our health,” Piedra said. “None of this is new.”
The advantage is that there are many preventive measures that can reduce the risk of getting sick or reduce the severity of these symptoms. and taking precautions such as wearing a mask when in a crowded environment.
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