2023-12-18 12:40:00

“According to the latest wastewater report carried out by Sciensano, we still see that covid is circulating at a high level, confirms infectious disease specialist Yves Van Laethem. Since Saint Nicholas Day, the virus has been circulating a lot in society. And it is the Omicron BA.2.86 sub-variant which is the most common. Last week, an average of 446 Covid-19 infections were recorded each day, representing an increase of 46%. This explains why there are a lot of respiratory symptoms and what also causes a busy epidemiological picture in the country.”

Indeed, alongside the resurgence of Covid-19, we are also witnessing an intense circulation of other acute respiratory infections such as influenza and bronchiolitis, which risks increasing the workload of hospitals, faced throughout the year last to a “triple epidemic”. “The Bronchiolitis virus (RSV) has been decreasing in recent days but remains at a high level, especially in children,” he explains. The flu is also starting to progress but remains at a fairly low intensity at this stage. We don’t know exactly when the peak will arrive, but there’s a good chance it will happen following the holidays. Currently, activity is quite high within hospitals but fortunately the intensive care units are not saturated”.

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Mycoplasma pneumoniae is making a comeback here.

Adapt your behavior in the event of symptoms

And like China, several European countries including Belgium are experiencing an increase in cases of mycoplasma pneumoniae, a bacteria responsible for pneumonia. The latter can cause mild respiratory infections or severe pneumonia, and is a common cause of pneumonia in school-age children. According to health authorities, this increase might correspond to a normal recurrence of the bacteria, and also be exacerbated by the reduction in transmissions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Belgium receives a 5.5/10 for its Covid management, experts react: “We must progress because the next virus might be worse than Covid”

“Every autumn, the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere see the active circulation of numerous viruses and bacteria, RSV, influenza viruses, and now Covid coronaviruses, but also mycoplasma pneumoniae and other agents responsible for respiratory infections , explains Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva. Europe has therefore been facing a resurgence of these pathologies for several weeks. But there is no reason for the phenomenon observed in China to reach Europe this year, the population having already paid its “exposure debt” last year, even if Mycoplasma pneumoniae is making a comeback here ”.

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It’s really time to be careful, especially among the most vulnerable.”

A few days before Christmas and the end-of-year holidays, health professionals therefore recall the importance of hygiene measures to avoid falling ill during this fateful week. “It’s really time to be careful in order to spend the end of year holidays with complete peace of mind,” recommends Van Laethem. We can remember the importance of hand washing and ventilation. And if you have certain classic symptoms such as a runny nose, fever or sore throat, you should not hesitate to wear your mask while paying attention to the most fragile. You don’t necessarily have to say hello and kiss your grandparents if you have doubts regarding your state of health, as usual, you have to use common sense.

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In a context of family reunification, the authorities also invite as many people as possible to be vaccinated to “boost” their immunity and to apply barrier gestures on a daily basis. Wearing a mask on public transport or in crowded places such as shopping centers, as well as teleworking when possible, are also recommended initiatives.

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