Is the UK prepared for seasonal influenza in 2022–23 and beyond?

Nazareth, Joshua; Pan, Daniel; Martin, Christopher; Barr, Ian G.; Sullivan, Sheena G.; Stephenson, Iain; Sahota, Amandip; Clark, Tristan; Nellums, Laura B; Tang, Julian W.; Pareek, Manish

doi:10.1016/s1473-3099(22)00503-5

Cited by 24 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Australia has had a difficult flu season with flu notifications reaching 27 500 a day in June this year, much higher than the peak of 17 500 in 2019 and the five year average peak of 7500 5…”

Section: What Do We Know About Flu From Down Under?mentioning

confidence: 96%

Sixty seconds on . . . the “twindemic”

Kmietowicz¹

2022

BMJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although the rate of multiple births in the UK has been rising over the past 20 years, it's starting to slow down, in line with singleton births. 1 But this isn't about twins. We're talking about the dual epidemics of flu and covid-19 which will be in circulation this winter. Oh, brother!Indeed. Public health officials are certainly getting worried. Last week the UK Health Security Agency urged parents to vaccinate their 2 and 3 year old children against flu this year, because of fears over a lack of natural immunity caused by reduced exposure during the pandemic. 2 All those eligible for a flu vaccine should also book their jab, it said. The deadly twins?Possibly. An analysis by health analytics company Airfinity has estimated that hospitals in England could see more than 7500 people admitted to hospital every week in January 2023 with covid-19 or flu (under different scenarios, such as vaccination status). This surpasses the previous threshold of 4000 weekly admissions for covid-19 which triggered lockdowns. 3 NEWSThe BMJ

show abstract

Section: What Do We Know About Flu From Down Under?mentioning

confidence: 96%

Sixty seconds on . . . the “twindemic”

Kmietowicz¹

2022

BMJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It emphasises the importance of an integrated surveillance mechanism, both for covid-19 and in preparation for what could be a very severe flu season. 8 Although the UK has world leading surveillance systems in place, especially in genomic sequencing capability and advanced wastewater surveillance, coordination of data between different UK regions and with the EU is key for effective monitoring. Steps are being taken to accelerate integration both within the UK and with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), with which the UK Health Security Agency signed a memorandum of understanding in 2021.…”

Section: Surveillancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A key element of the EU plan, inevitably, is the importance of coordinating countries’ responses to cross border threats to health. It emphasises the importance of an integrated surveillance mechanism, both for covid-19 and in preparation for what could be a very severe flu season 8…”

Section: Surveillancementioning

confidence: 99%

What can the UK learn from the EU’s covid plan for winter 2022-23?

Field

2022

BMJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This winter is likely to be brutal. The rising cost of living will force many people to choose whether to "heat or eat." And, despite optimism expressed by several eminent figures, 1 2 it's clear that the covid-19 pandemic is not over. England continues to record almost 30 000 cases each week despite vastly reduced testing, with almost 4000 people admitted to hospital. 3 It would be very surprising if covid proved to be unlike all respiratory viruses and cases didn't increase further in the winter months. This will inevitably place an already struggling NHS under even more pressure. In these circumstances it's perhaps surprising that, beyond the promise of booster vaccinations, covid-19 is largely lacking from Our Plan for Patients, 4 published by England's new secretary of state for health and social care, Thérèse Coffey. This contrasts with the stance taken by the European Union, which has published a comprehensive plan to counter this persistent threat, 5 which in turn holds lessons for the UK.

show abstract

“…Furthermore, as a result of essential measures put in place over the last couple of years to mitigate risk of transmitting COVID infection, the incidence of seasonal influenza has been substantially less than in previous years, raising the potential probability of a more susceptible population with a lessened natural immunity to influenza infection. Indeed, present reports from Australia, inevitably the prelude to later western experience, indicate a rapid rise in influenza A notifications, a challenge reinforced by declining uptake of seasonal influenza vaccine both in Australia and the UK 1 …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, present reports from Australia, inevitably the prelude to later western experience, indicate a rapid rise in influenza A notifications, a challenge reinforced by declining uptake of seasonal influenza vaccine both in Australia and the UK. 1 …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined COVID‐19 and influenza infection: an imminent ‘double whammy’ ahead?

Shaw

2022

Practical Diabetes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Is the UK prepared for seasonal influenza in 2022–23 and beyond?

Cited by 24 publications

References 2 publications

Sixty seconds on . . . the “twindemic”

Sixty seconds on . . . the “twindemic”

What can the UK learn from the EU’s covid plan for winter 2022-23?

Combined COVID‐19 and influenza infection: an imminent ‘double whammy’ ahead?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About