Accelerated increase of Covid-19 in Yucatan could favor the risk of a double epidemic

In Yucatan there is a high risk of a Covid-19 and influenza co-epidemic, whose consequences could be fatal for people who simultaneously have both diseases, warned Guadalupe Ayora Talavera, a specialist from the Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY).

She highlighted the high risk of this double epidemic, due to the accelerated increase of Covid-19 registered in the last three weeks, in addition to the increase of acute respiratory infections, as a consequence of cold fronts and northerly winds, including influenza.

“People who have influenza and Covid-19 at the same time can become more seriously ill than people who have only one of these diseases,” he stressed.

Although both pathologies are caused by totally different viruses, they share a series of symptoms in common: fever, fatigue, cough, sore throat, runny nose, difficulty breathing, body aches, headaches, vomiting and diarrhea.

Therefore, it is not possible to differentiate influenza from Covid-19 just by observing the symptoms, she said during the 16th edition of the Health Fair.

The head of the Virology Laboratory of the Centro de Investigaciones Regionales (CIR) Dr. Hideyo Noguchi of the UADY,

During the conference “Influenza vs Covid”, she stated that “some of the signs and symptoms are the same for both diseases, so it is necessary to do specific detection tests to know which disease it is and to confirm a diagnosis”.

In some people, coronavirus can cause more severe illness than influenza, however, symptoms in people infected with Covid-19 may take longer to appear and they may be contagious for longer periods of time, he said.

In addition, some people with Covid-19 may also suffer from post-illness conditions also called persistent conditions.

“There are new and ongoing reports of Covid-19-related symptoms that people should be on the lookout for,” he added.

He exemplified the case of red and swollen eyes as well as skin rashes, mainly in younger people, and data are still being collected on the different skin conditions that are consistent with Covid-19.

Ayora Talavera provided some recommendations among which stand out: avoid large crowds, use a mask if very necessary, keep social distance, wash your hands frequently and stay at home if you feel sick.

In addition to taking care of our immune system, as it is very important to fight infections, especially viruses, for that reason it is necessary to eat a healthy and balanced diet, exercise regularly and get enough sleep to help stimulate the system.