żěè¶ĚĘÓƵ that winter flu is rampaging through Britain and threatening Christmas is premature. While the northern hemisphere’s winter flu season has just begun, it seems that another virus might have been keeping it largely at bay in Europe.
Flu is infamous for occasional, deadly pandemics, such as swine flu in 2009, or the epidemic that helped end the First World War in 1918. But the epidemics of “ordinary” flu that take place every winter are deadly too, with respiratory disease a year, and probably the same number again through complications such as heart attacks.
It has been feared that this year’s winter flu will be particularly bad. In July, winter flu in Australia was dominated by an unusually severe virus in the H3N2 family, against which the flu vaccine was largely ineffective – and it has moved north.
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But while cases of this flu are reaching epidemic levels in North America, in England only 8 per 100,000 doctor’s visits are currently for suspected flu. This is rising, but it won’t be an official epidemic until it hits 13 in 100,000.
Protective effect
The delay might be because common cold viruses have got in the way of flu. Epidemiologists suspect that some viruses block others, by activating non-specific immune defences in people. , of the University of Queensland, says the effect seems to last about two weeks.
A major outbreak of the rhinovirus that causes common colds has just ended in England, while an outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus, which also causes colds, is just starting to decline. Studies have found that rhinovirus in particular can block flu, so this may be why cases are only now starting to climb.
If common colds really do hold back flu, Mackay wants to test a weakened cold virus as a defence against flu. Meanwhile, vitamin C won’t help you – try chicken (or some other protein-rich) soup instead.
Read more: Common cold may hold off swine flu
