Flu and viral cases on the rise: Why are flu symptoms taking longer to heal now? - Times of India

Flu and viral cases on the rise: Why are flu symptoms taking longer to heal now!

Coronavirus: Why are flu symptoms confusing people.

The recent surge in the number of flu cases coming up during current COVID-19 times has been dubbed to be as concerning as a 'twindemic'

From confusing symptoms, an illness which can seem unnerving and exhausting to poor vaccinations, a disease which was put out of sight by many, thanks to the COVID-19 crisis, flu and viral cases have been rising in India and other countries in a sharp manner

ALSO READ: Why are flu symptoms confusing people right now

While on one hand, people are being urged to get both the flu and COVID vaccine shots at the earliest, what's also being noticed is that unlike usual, infection symptoms are taking a longer time to resolve

Severity has also been associated with dengue cases detected now as well

Even though flu outbreaks were relatively put on the backburner because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there's been an unfortunate rise in the number of flu and viral cases we are seeing after the second wave of the pandemic

While flu is expected with seasonal changes, the intensity of illness, and the sheer number of people falling ill with flu and other viral ailment symptoms are quite high this time

A prime reason as to why we are seeing a heavier flu and viral season come up right now is because of poor vaccination records, it could also be factored due to the lax measures people are taking

While general awareness and heightened precautions made flu almost a 'low risk' problem last year, many people have become complacent, not paying attention to mask hygiene and there is a generally high prevalence of respiratory viruses right now

While flu has a shorter exposure time than COVID (since flu symptoms can show up 2-4 days post exposure), the illness can be slightly uncomfortable , and tend to last for 7 to 10 days, amongst healthy individuals

People who have pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes, immunosuppressant problems or high blood pressure may also take longer to recover, and undergo illness symptoms for upwards of a week, since their immune response could be less efficient

Not only could COVID risk make many remain confused about their symptoms, it could also prolong the diagnostic and management time

It's also important to understand that waning exposure to flu, lingering COVID-19 risk and more people stepping back into normal lives could make a case for a more intense flu season

According to doctors, while we had little to none flu exposure last year, we are all at a higher risk of flu and viral illnesses this year

But, in this case, with low exposure , flu attacks could be intense, make symptoms feel worse, and could also be a reason why infections do not tend to recover fast

While we are coming to terms with the phenomenon of confusing long COVID, even other viral illnesses could cause lingering symptoms (less intense or severe as long COVID though), and make one continue to battle some symptoms

This condition, known as post-viral fatigue, can also be a possible reason why some people may continue to experience a prolonged recovery timeline with a flu infection, or still feel sick, even after the virus has been rooted out

September-October and the seasonal changes setting in right now are big caveats for flu cases to shoot up

-Limit your contact if you feel sick, or develop some symptoms, even if it's just a cold or a slight fever

-Check your symptoms, get timely help to manage your condition in a better way

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