A dramatic drop in flu-like illness isn't sustainable warn doctors, unless we keep practicing hygiene lessons learned from Covid-19.
Medical personnel are saying cases of coughs, colds and flu will start increasing if we start slackening off.
“You can't tell the difference between a cold, flu and Covid-19 except for swabbing,” says Dr Donna Marshall.
The latest data revealed a dramatic decline in flu-like symptoms, including fever and coughing, from lockdown right through alert levels 3 and 2.
A downward trend in cases has doctors thanking the enforcement of basic Covid-19 hygiene rules such as hand washing, social distancing and sneezing into elbows
“I do believe some of the things we've done over the past few months we should carry on doing in part around hygiene to prevent spread of infectious diseases,” says Dr John Bonning, president of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.
He says that it’s our most vulnerable, such as children and the elderly who have benefited most from the drop.
“Paediactric presentations to emergency departments around the country have dropped right off.”
Nevertheless, emergency departments nationwide are now nearing capacity and some GP doctors expect rises in flu cases as soon as winter kicks in.
“Peak flu season for us is June, July, August and we're not there yet actually but we will still see a rise I'm sure as people go about their normal business,” shared Dr Marshall.
Medical professionals remain in full support of vaccination, despite one finding in the new data.
The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR)’s study also shows that for a month between late April and May, there was virtually no difference in illness between vaccinated and unvaccinated populations.
“Look what the lack of vaccination did in Samoa with measles and the travesty and tragedy that that was,” says Dr Bonning.
Doctors now urging everyone to stick to the basics in a collective bid to stay healthy.
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