Beware of false advice!



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On November 2, vaccination against seasonal flu began in Morocco, in a health context marked by the pandemic of the new coronavirus. Given this unprecedented situation, the Ministry of Health recalled that the co-circulation of influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2 is not excluded in the country, hence the establishment of “high vaccination coverage against influenza in people at risk “is of” great importance “.

It is for this reason that this year the flu vaccine is “quadrivalent”, with a composition “adjusted annually, on the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO)”. The campaign, which has the slogan “Some people are more vulnerable to the flu… Let’s get vaccinated!… Let’s protect ourselves and our loved ones!”, Is aimed at people at risk of serious complications or even death related to the flu.

These cases are often those of “pregnant women, people with chronic diseases (such as chronic kidney failure, diabetes, heart disease and chronic lung infections, etc.). People aged 65 and over and children. Less than 5 years “.

Vaccination is also “strongly recommended for healthcare professionals”. For good reason it allows the protection of people, of the family and professional entourage, but also the limitation of the transmission of the seasonal influenza virus to patients hospitalized in health facilities.

Fake covid-19 advice on social media

In this context, some advice circulating on social networks, relating to influenza vaccines and against covid-19, could go against international recommendations. In fact, it is necessary to know that the two are well differentiated and that one cannot be replaced by the other. This means that in addition to Vaxigrip, vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 will be required, once testing and validation by health authorities is complete. “Currently, there is no evidence that existing vaccines will protect against Covid-19,” WHO said in this regard.

For cases with the new coronavirus, “being asymptomatic or symptomatic not serious they are not contraindications” to be vaccinated against seasonal flu, the doctors further report, insisting that “we must not break its isolation or quarantine to be vaccinated”. There is also nothing to justify requiring a negative PCR test before prescribing a flu shot.

Another misconception that healthcare professionals are trying to deconstruct is that “the flu vaccine lowers immunity and promotes infection” in covid-19. Getting seasonal flu could also be a risk factor that increases exposure to SARS-CoV-2, as the flu virus is known to generally decrease immunity and thus make the body more vulnerable to other respiratory diseases.

While scientists have yet to conduct further tests to validate the first data, a preliminary study published by MedRxiv concludes that hospital staff vaccinated against influenza “were found to be less positive for Covid-19”. Dutch researchers from the Nijmegen University Medical Center (Netherlands) also suggest that in the event of infection with the novel coronavirus, those who have already received the flu vaccine remain in a less severe stage.

Contraindications for seasonal flu vaccine remain the same this year, namely a previous allergy to a similar vaccine or one of its components.



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