CASES of deadly winter bugs could plummet this year due to increased hand washing, the wearing of masks, social distancing measures and more people getting access to the flu vaccine, experts say.
Scottish virologists have offered a small ray of hope amidst rising cases of Covid about another virus, which kills around 2,000 people a year across the UK.
Professor Jurgen Haas, head of infection medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said it was likely there would be a drop in cases of seasonal flu and other bugs which are spread by human touch, including Norovirus, which is responsible for around 200,000 deaths worldwide every year.
Flu is transmitted in the same way as Covid, primarily through respiratory droplets and contaminated surfaces.
Australia and South Africa are said to have seen very little cases this season.
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However, Mr Haas cautioned that it is likely hospitals could see cases of co-infection, which he said is seen in around 5% of respiratory tract infections.
He said: “We would expect a lower number of respiratory infections because of the hygiene measures, social distancing and so on, which is obviously a good thing.
“Flu is very highly seasonally related virus so we usually see almost no cases in the summer then it will pick up in November and December and the peak is mainly January, February and March.
“In normal years, we would see quite a high number of cases and flu can also be deadly.
“In the UK, we would see about 2,000 fatal cases a year involving people in risk groups such as the elderly and people with chronic diseases such as asthma and cardiovascular disease.
“It could also be that we see a decrease of Norovirus infections and gastrointestinal infections because of hand washing.”
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It comes as a new study found people infected with both flu and coronavirus have a six-fold increased risk of death compared with the general population.
Patients battling both viruses at the same time are twice as likely to die as those with Covid-19 alone, according to the Public Health England (PHE) study.
“We will probably see people with co-infection,” said Mr Haas. “We see co-infections regularly with other viruses in about 5% of cases.
“There is also fair chance that we won’t pick up other respiratory infections though because we are mainly doing Covid-19 testing, that’s the priority.”
Mr Haas said flu symptoms in the at risk groups are typically severe from the outset while patients with Covid can exhibit only mild symptoms for the first few days before they becomes more severe.
Dr Antonia Ho, a consultant in infectious diseases at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said an expansion of this year’s flu vaccination programme should contribute to a drop in cases if there is good uptake.
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Social care workers, people over 55 and household members of those who are shielding will now be eligible.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “The seasonal flu vaccination programme helps to protect the most vulnerable and alleviate pressure on the NHS.
This will be more important than ever this winter, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the potential for both Covid-19 and seasonal flu to be in circulation at the same time.
“While increased hygiene measures will help protect people from viruses, it is important that everyone who is eligible for a free seasonal flu vaccine takes up this opportunity.
"We’ve recently launched a public health marketing campaign for this flu season – to encourage uptake by increasing awareness of risks of not getting vaccinated.”
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