After reporting cases of Delta and Omicron variant of COVID-19, Israel has reported the first case of ‘Florona.’ It is a new term used to characterise a double infection with influenza and coronavirus.
Amid the fear of increasing cases of Omicron COVID variant, Israel has reported its first case of ‘florona’ disease. Arab News tweeted on Friday, “#Israel records the first case of #florona disease, a double infection of #COVID19 and influenza.” According to another Hindustan Times storey, florona was identified as a pregnant woman who was admitted to a medical institution to give birth. The young woman, however, had not been vaccinated, which cited Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
It’s neither a new strain of the novel coronavirus nor is it a health worry that’s never been seen before. The term ‘florona’ is a relatively new term used to characterise a dual infection with the influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2. This has ramifications for the severity of the symptoms and recovery time. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
What Is ‘Florona’?
According to Israeli reports, a pregnant woman at a hospital was one of the first people to contract COVID-19 and influenza at the same time. It’s unsurprising that such a coinfection has prompted fears, given the risk of the Omicron variety and the continued rise of Delta cases. According to reports, Israeli doctors have seen an increase in influenza infections in recent weeks.
It is considered a serious failure of the immune system when a person has both influenza and COVID-19 at the same time, but reports indicate that the woman taken to the hospital for delivery was not vaccinated against either disease.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one or more days can pass between when a person becomes infected and when he or she begins to experience illness symptoms for both COVID-19 and influenza, though a COVID-19 infection may take longer to manifest symptoms than flu. When it comes to flu, symptoms show anywhere from 1 to 4 days after infection, whereas with COVID-19, symptoms appear around 5 days after infection, but symptoms can appear anywhere from 2 to 14 days after infection.
Symptoms Of The Coinfection
According to the World Health Organisation, it is possible to get infected with both diseases at once and have similar symptoms, including cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, headache and fatigue. While symptoms may differ from one person to another, they can both be fatal if left unmanaged.
Both diseases are airborne transmitted viruses that affect the same human organs, such as the respiratory tract and nasal, bronchial, and lung cells, according to a study published in the journal Nature. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and seasonal influenza, a huge population may be in danger of contracting both viruses at the same time.
