Amman -
Many countries of the world have recently witnessed a great activity in respiratory viruses that spread simultaneously, which prompted many to wonder what was different after the Corona pandemic?
Will the world witness an increased spread of respiratory viruses during the winter?
What is the immune gap?
How do we deal with all respiratory viruses and the most important means of prevention?
Is the world preparing for the activity of respiratory viruses?
The Jordanian professor and consultant for the treatment of infectious diseases, Dr. Dirar Balawi, said in exclusive statements to Al-Jazeera Net that the whole world, especially the northern hemisphere, is preparing as we enter the fall and winter seasons for activity in respiratory viruses, and the influenza virus, which is the group that causes us viral respiratory infections, and thus The number of colds or influenza cases will increase, in addition to the Corona virus, Covid-19, which was added to it in the last 3 years.
What are the types of respiratory viruses?
Dr. Balawi explains that there are many types of respiratory viruses, such as adenovirus, rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza virus, which is sometimes removed from the category of respiratory viruses, because it causes symptoms other than respiratory symptoms in the upper respiratory tract and lung, as it leads to other diseases in the body. Also, there are 7 types of coronavirus that cause cold symptoms.
Why did respiratory viruses spread at the same time?
Dr. Balawi indicated that the Corona pandemic was broken in 2022 by definition, because “SARS Covid-2” mutated and had mutations that were not in favor of the virus and weakened it, and thus it reached its version of Omicron “BA5” (BA5), which is a weak version that cannot People enter hospitals easily, and the death toll does not increase as the virus and its fierce previous mutants were.
And he considered that although the Omicron version made the Corona pandemic break, the virus still exists, and if it remains a pandemic, it is a pandemic for the unvaccinated and people with weak immunity, such as the elderly and those with chronic diseases such as pressure, uncontrolled diabetes, and immune diseases.
And Balawi indicated that the impact that the Omicron “PA5” version could play has become less controlled, so it was now expected that respiratory viruses that were known before the start of the Corona pandemic would appear, such as respiratory syncytial virus and influenza, and they have been known for a long time and are not new to us, but they are During the pandemic, they retreated, as the overwhelming virus was the Corona virus, so we did not notice them during that period, in addition to the preventive measures that were taken at the time, such as distancing, quarantine, sanitary isolation, and wearing masks.
Will the world witness a 3D pandemic?
Balawi explained that, according to medical articles, the world is witnessing a so-called "three-dimensional pandemic", as we have the "SARS Covid-2" virus in its Omicron version, the respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza, and therefore we have 3 viruses staring at us, especially among groups that have high risk factors. They are young people less than two years old, the elderly over 65 years old, and people who have immunity either congenital or because they take immunosuppressive drugs, such as cancer diseases, not to mention those who have uncontrolled immune or chronic diseases such as diabetes and pressure.
And he stressed that it was expected that the various respiratory viruses that were dormant during the Corona pandemic would activate, and this is what we are currently seeing on the ground.
Corona Virus
With regard to the Corona virus, Balawi says that the world has experienced a calm and safe summer this year, but with the onset of winter, cases and deaths began to rise, according to reports and figures of the World Health Organization and the United Nations, especially in the Americas and the West Atlantic region, and the rise is estimated from 2 to 8%. compared to last week.
He pointed out that the Corona virus did not end despite the refraction of the pandemic, and according to the genomic sequence, the mutated Omicron, in its version “PA5”, was dominant by 80-90%, and therefore there is an expectation that the number of infections will increase, at a time when there will be hospitalizations or deaths. Not big, warning those who are not vaccinated who did not receive the vaccine, especially the elderly, are still in the crosshairs of Corona, even in its weak version.
As for those who received corona vaccines, Balawi advised them to receive a dose of the virus-inducing vaccine, pointing out that the biggest problem with corona is the post-corona syndrome, which studies have shown that even after two years of infection, people may remain vulnerable to brain fog, strokes and many diseases. .
flu
Dr. Balawi explained that the influenza virus is active in the winter season and is not new to us, but due to competition between viruses and preventive measures during the Corona pandemic.
We have not seen it in the past three years, and its appearance has decreased, but according to the current World Health Organization figures, and after conducting samples from 105 countries, it showed that there are increases in influenza A (A), especially type H3N2 (H3N2). ), especially in the Northern Hemisphere, such as the Americas, the Western Atlantic and Southeast Asia, including the Middle East.
He explained the absence of flu spikes in some countries, such as Jordan, Lebanon, and others, by not conducting tests. If the examination was done randomly and representative of the geography of those countries, the spikes would have appeared.
He recommended re-investigating randomly and raising the level of examinations by rates of not less than 15% of the population at this stage of the winter season, and at least 5% of conducting genomic sequence examinations to confirm the types of influenza strains present.
He pointed to the rise in influenza and respiratory syncytial virus cases above the rate that was in the past years, and that there will be no fiercer strains, but due to the passage of 3 years of the spread of corona, there has become what is called the immune gap or vacuum, meaning that our bodies were not exposed to these two viruses during the pandemic. Therefore, it will be a little more difficult to get infected with them, because the immune response of the bodies will be more severe, as if the immune system recognizes them for the first time.
Respiratory syncytial virus
Children have always been infected with the respiratory syncytial virus, as Balawi mentioned, as it is not new, but the increases in infections and hospital admissions are now more, especially children under two years old who were born during the Corona pandemic, as 95% of children when they are two years old have been infected with this virus. .
He explained that "respiratory syncytial" affects children with bronchiolitis, and it could affect the elderly as well, but that was rare, but after Corona, we see that it has become infecting adults - whether healthy adults or the elderly - more and more than we are used to, and that Hospital admissions are more than the known rate, and although the virus is known, its symptoms will now be more severe, and it will infect groups that we did not see before.
As for vaccines, the Corona virus has vaccines that are given to children from 6 months and older, and as for the respiratory syncytial virus, there is no vaccine for it yet, except that Pfizer announced that at the end of 2022 it will submit to the US Food and Drug Administration a request to approve a new vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, as it Their studies have proven that it provides 82% protection during the first 92 days of the baby, and 69% protection in the first 6 months.
How do we deal with all respiratory viruses?
Dr. Balawi stressed that it is not permissible to use antibiotics for respiratory viruses, as we have a problem in Arab countries with the wrong and inappropriate consumption of antibiotics, and it is wrong to give antibiotics for corona, influenza, or respiratory syncytial virus.
He stressed the need to treat symptoms only when children are infected with "respiratory syncytia", by giving antipyretics when they rise, helping the child to rest him, eating good food, making respiratory tract fumigants, and giving some medications prescribed by the doctor to relieve cough, in addition to other procedures without mixing. Adults with the infected child, and not to send the child to nursery or school, to ensure that the infection is not spread to other children, and to maintain hygiene such as hand washing and sterilization.
He called on the parents to pay attention to 3 symptoms in the child, and if they appeared, he should immediately go to the emergency room, which is the lack of hypothermia within 48 hours despite giving him a fever reducer, and the occurrence of two episodes of breath with difficulty breathing, and this indicates that he has pneumonia and is unable to breathe, and if There was bluishness of the lips and the bases of the nails, which indicates a lack of oxygen in him, and he needs medical intervention in the hospital.
What changes occurred in respiratory viruses?
Respiratory, thoracic and intensive care specialist Dr. Muhammad Hassan Al-Tarawneh says that two and a half years after the Corona pandemic, and due to the preventive measures that were taken from distancing, wearing masks and sterilization, which limited exposure to respiratory viruses in general, such as the influenza virus, syncytial virus, and others;
The concentrations of antibodies decreased within the human body.
He indicated, in exclusive statements to Al-Jazeera Net, that we began to witness a greater and more severe spread of these viruses, as they came together ahead of schedule, at an untimely time, and appeared in places where they did not appear at this time before the Corona pandemic.
Will the world witness an increased spread of respiratory viruses during the winter?
Dr. Tarawneh believes that the immune gap, which means low concentrations of antibodies for a period of time, and leads to the body's response to exposure to infectious pathogens being different, indicates that this winter will be a harsh winter due to the successive and sometimes combined emergence of a group of viruses.
He added that if two respiratory viruses meet on the human body at the same time, this increases the possibility of complications, severity and severity of symptoms, and weakens immunity, and thus increases the possibility of pneumonia, which may require admission to hospitals, which may lead to pressure on health facilities and increased spending. on health.
What is the effect of viruses on chest diseases and respiratory infections?
Respiratory viruses are similar in the symptoms they cause, according to Dr. Tarawneh. They infect the entire respiratory system, including the nose, throat, bronchi, bronchioles, and lungs. Among the most important symptoms they cause are dry cough, sore throat, runny nose, difficulty breathing, general fatigue in the body, high temperature, and joint pain.
He continued that in the winter, patients' visits to clinics and emergency departments abound, due to asthma attacks and relapses of pathological conditions in patients with chronic and allergic sinusitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary fibrosis, as a result of infection with respiratory viruses.
How can respiratory viruses be prevented?
Dr. Tarawneh indicated that one of the most important measures that help prevent the transmission of respiratory viruses is to wash hands continuously with soap and water, and to ventilate homes and classrooms in schools, to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses by 80%, in addition to obtaining the seasonal influenza vaccine, which is a safe vaccine. It is given from the age of 6 months, as well as to pregnant women, and to follow the habits of coughing and sneezing by covering the mouth and nose, and not shaking hands and kissing on occasions.
Tarawneh urged not to share utensils and personal items with others, to sleep for sufficient hours, as sleep helps the body get rid of inflammatory factors and thus resets the immune system, to exercise 3 times a week for a period of not less than 20 minutes, and to have a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals and eat Vegetables and fruits, not to mention quitting smoking and avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke.