THERESE RAPHAEL: Covid-19: lest we forget the flu

On the list of things to worry about in the age of Sars-CoV-2, boring, old winter flu probably doesn’t rank high. Especially not in the middle of a summer heatwave. And yet it should.

One reason to get more serious about flu is its cost, both economically and in human terms. Annual costs of treating influenza are significant, even when you just look at hospital outlays for those most severely affected. The elderly are most vulnerable to flu, but so are pregnant women, very young children and those with other medical conditions and weakened immune systems. Some who contract and recover from flu end up with post-viral symptoms that drag on. Long Covid-19 has showed us just how debilitating these can be.

Britain, with its overstretched national healthcare system and gargantuan backlog of surgeries and other procedures, can scarcely afford a bad flu season. Consultations for influenza-like illnesses take up substantial GP time and hospital capacity in a normal year. High rates of flu on top of Covid-19 would be a strain too far, requiring substantial new government resources and leaving many people without treatment.

Higher levels of flu vaccination would be a game-changer. Last winter, the number people opting for a flu vaccine in Britain reached record levels, with the National Health Service vaccinating more than 80% of those over 65 — 10% higher than the previous year and ahead of the WHO goal of 75% for the first time.

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