The flu killed nearly 200 children last season. This time, 1 has died. - The Washington Post

In the shadow of the past year’s coronavirus surge came a less noticeable, but more positive infectious-disease trend: Influenza and other common viruses have nearly disappeared.

While influenza typically keeps circulating in March and April, experts say a combination of coronavirus precautions and existing immunity has so far nearly eradicated infection levels and, by extension, deaths.

“I think that that obliteration of the flu epidemic, which was seen globally, tells us that the way that influenza is transmitted from one person to another might really have been impacted by the use of masks, more than anything else,” said Flor Munoz, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ infectious-diseases committee.

Widespread mask-wearing may be particularly helpful because face coverings limit the spread of the droplets that carry influenza, Munoz said.

Adults are also experiencing a dramatic drop in influenza deaths, with about 450 so far this season, compared with roughly 22,000 last year.

But flu infections and deaths could stay low next season if mask-wearing and social distancing remain common, either because of the coronavirus or because people choose to apply the same measures to influenza prevention.

Andrea Kovacs, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Southern California, said it’s hard to predict which strains to develop vaccines for next year without data for the current year.

It also isn’t too late for the flu to surge in the current season if coronavirus restrictions are relaxed.