Influenza, COVID in UAE: Why do cases rise in winter?

Influenza, COVID in UAE: Why do cases rise in winter?

Viral illnesses such as influenza have been on the rise in the UAE over the last few weeks, doctors say. Covid cases have decreased in number and severity, while the number of influenza cases have increased.

Dr Kiran Kumar, Head of the Internal Medicine Department at Thumbay University Hospital, said that SARS-CoV-2 was the predominant virus in the last three years, and the majority of the population was not exposed to influenza and thus became susceptible to it.

“One of the major reasons for the rise in flu is regulations around the masks and social distancing being relaxed. [This] has provided a good opportunity for the virus to spread from person to person,” Dr Kumar said. “Influenza virus [does not lead] to severe diseases [such as] pneumonia or respiratory failure. Most individuals recover from upper respiratory illness and bronchitis-like symptoms,” said Dr Kumar.

However, doctors also mentioned that the difference this time is that the fever-illness lasts for a longer duration, sometimes up to 5-7 days, needing hospital visits and admission for IV medications at times.

Doctors also stated that many cases had been recorded among school children. “Schools are a breeding ground for flu, as one affected child might spread it to the