UAE: Flu cases surge; symptoms recurring in patients, doctors say

UAE: Flu cases surge; symptoms recurring in patients, doctors say

Caseloads of flu – a contagious illness caused by influenza virus – are on the rise in the country, doctors told Khaleej Times, as they also noted a new trend of recurring symptoms in patients.

“For two weeks, we are seeing an increase in cases. We observed a rise in influenza and flu infections following the pandemic period when there was a lack of natural immunity and people had become more susceptible. Now the cold and dry seasons also help the virus spread faster,” said Dr Gunasekharan Bathrachala Reddy, head of department and specialist internal medicine, LLH Hospital, Abu Dhabi.

Dr Ayaz Ahmed, specialist internal medicine, Aster Cedars Hospital and Clinic, Jebel Ali, has been seeing cases of patients who have recurrent flu within a span of a few weeks.

“We have been seeing a surge in flu cases for the past one month. Unlike other times, this time it has shown specific presentations. In the UAE, people who have not taken the vaccine are likely to get the flu. They will present with common symptoms such as fever, running nose, sore throat and so on. Usually, they recover within a week. However, this time, we have seen patients getting the flu multiple