Covid waning, but cold and flu season is in full swing

THE Covid-19 pandemic might be subsiding in South Africa, with the majority of restrictions being lifted, but the 2022 cold and influenza (flu) season is currently well under way in the country.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said this week that officially it started in South Africa in April, and based on current projections it was expected to end by August.

Dr Sibongile Walaza said. “It is not possible to tell in advance when the season will end, but in the 10 years prior to 2020, which was the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the average duration of the influenza season has been 19 weeks.”

Pharma Dynamics spokesperson Nicole Jennings added that to date, 377 influenza cases had been reported.

“There has been an increase in the number of cases reported in the past five weeks,” she said. Jennings said the majority of cases were reported from Gauteng, followed by KwaZuluNatal, the Western Cape, Mpumalanga, North West province, the Eastern Cape, Free State and Limpopo.

She added that to date, 765 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases had been detected.

“The 2022 RSV season started in week seven (February 14) and the good news is that the detection rate has been decreasing since week 18, and in week 24, RSV activity among children aged above 5 years was below the threshold,” she said.

Jennings explained that RSV was the most common cause of bronchiolitis and lower respiratory tract illness among young children.

“It is highly contagious and infection with RSV does not result in permanent or longterm immunity and reinfections can occur,” she said.

As Covid-19 spread after erupting in South Africa in early 2020, colds and flu rates were significantly reduced through lockdown restrictions as well as mask wearing, social distancing and regular hand washing, but this was now not necessarily the case.

“As restrictions eased, flu cases started to follow the same trajectory as before Covid-19. The case is the same with the RSV season, which usually precedes the influenza season (starting at the end of February to mid-March) over the last 10 years.

“Since the start of the pandemic, with health measures in place to prevent the spread of Sars-CoV-2, RSV circulation has been disrupted, with fewer cases and out of season outbreaks reported,” Jennings said. Similar sentiments were echoed by Walaza. “We did not have an influenza season in 2020 and 2021, although we did have a period of increased influenza transmission during the spring, which is outside the normal period of the season,” she said.

Walaza added that while people of all ages could get colds and the flu, there were certain risk groups for severe influenza illness and complications such as the very young (under the age of 2), very old (over 65), pregnant women and people with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes and asthma.

Jennings agreed and added that those with underlying chronic conditions had suppressed immune systems and were likely to experience more severe colds and flu symptoms.

“Many chronic diseases are caused by unhealthy habits, which include smoking, drinking too much alcohol, not getting enough sleep, consuming too much sugar and unhealthy food, and not exercising enough.

“‘The healthier we are, the better our bodies are able to fight and fend off infection,” she said. During the cold and flu season, Jennings urged South Africans to adhere to practices that were in place during the pandemic, such as social distancing and regular hand washing.

“If they continue to follow these precautions, we could see a lower number of cold and flu cases than in previous years,” she said.

Jennings added that the pandemic had caused many to take better care of their health by eating correctly and exercising more regularly, as well as taking health supplements to boost their immunity.

“The healthier you are and the better you take care of your immune system, the less likely you are to fall ill,” she said. Walaza agreed with Jennings and added that those who showed symptoms for colds and the flu should limit close contact with others and stay at home until the fever has resolved.

“Symptomatic individuals (are encouraged) to wear a mask in public or if in contact with others,” she said.

Both also stressed the importance of getting the flu vaccine.