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The Navarre patient with coronavirus who remains admitted to the ICU of the Hospital Complex of Navarra also has infections with influenza B and other pathogens. The general director of Health of the Regional Community of Navarra, Carlos Artundo, and the head of the section of Communicable Diseases, Aurelio Barricarte, have indicated this to the press, who have clarified that the 39-year-old woman is "stable within the gravity".

Is this combination of infections what explains why the patient, without previous pathologies, has developed a severe picture of the disease? Experts are investigating, although there are still no clear answers about it.

"In up to one in four viral respiratory infections there is a coinfection by several microorganisms," says Jordi Reina, head of the Virology department at the Son Espases Hospital in Mallorca.

Other coronaviruses, considered benign, also present this coinfection pattern in some cases, so "it was likely that it could also occur with this new pathogen," says the specialist who points out that, however, in studies that have been conducted in China has not yet pointed out this fact.

"This is why it is not advisable to do the flu test first to rule out coronavirus infection ," the specialist adds. Therefore, the detection of the new virus must be the first analysis to be carried out in case of a suspicious case and then verify the existence of other infections.

Antonio Ramos, head of the Infectious Service of the Puerta de Hierro Hospital in Madrid, points out that "it is not uncommon" to observe the presence of infections by other microorganisms in influenza cases. However, most often, these infections are due to bacteria or other opportunistic pathogens, not viruses. "It is a fertilized land that favors some bacterial superinfections," he clarifies.

Either way, both experts agree that the presence of more than one virus does not necessarily imply a higher risk of complications or a worse prognosis.

"The infections are not enhanced , " remarks Reina.

Ramos, meanwhile, indicates that existing protocols in hospitals already contemplate the possibility of coinfections and address this type of eventualities.

In addition, remember that, outside of China, the lethality associated with the coronavirus is less than 1%, so ask to reduce the alarm level.

"I worry that the fear of the coronavirus produces an alteration in the behavior of the patients and that they stop going to the hospital for serious symptoms due to fear of contagion. We must be very careful with these behaviors, because they can be very dangerous," he concludes.

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