Warm weather slows flu virus

Flu season is off to a slow start this year, but with just one-third of the Czech population vaccinated despite health warnings, the worst may be yet to come, doctors say.

The strain of flu currently spreading through Western Europe, a combination of a so-called pandemic A strain and a seasonal B strain is protected against by the flu vaccine, yet the vaccine remains an underused precaution nationwide, said Dr. Jan Kynčl from the National Institute of Public Health.

"The situation is not good; approximately one-third of people are vaccinated, which, compared with the rate in West European countries, is not good," Kynčl said. "Only a small proportion of people are protected."

Flu season has yet to take hold in the Czech Republic, but this could be the calm before the storm, doctors say.

The H3N2 strain of the flu virus has been the dominant strain in the Northern Hemisphere so far this year and in more than 94 percent of cases in Europe. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said the flu season was officially under way Jan. 6 with the instances of flu in its samples more than doubling over the previous week.  

"The influenza hasn't been detected much yet; it's been very sporadic and is definitely not the start of an epidemic at the moment," Kynčl said.

However, as initial instances of the virus have only just struck Western Europe, the Czech Republic is likely to experience more cases later this month or in February, he said.

The Canadian Medical Care (CMC) in Prague reported it had experienced very few cases of flu so far this winter.

"We don't know if it will get worse. In Europe, it's generally been pretty quiet, and we haven't really had any flu cases here yet, but it could still be early days," Dr. Ondřej Sobotka said.

As the increase of influenza cases largely depends on the weather, along with other factors, this year's relatively mild winter could be an explanation for the low rate of infection so far, Sobotka said.

Sobotka said a high number of CMC's patients receive the flu vaccine, but nationwide a majority of people choose to forego the jab.

"We really recommend our patients have the vaccine, but generally it's not common," he said.

The influenza shot is one of the cheapest vaccines on the market; however, many deem it unnecessary, Kynčl said.

"One important factor is definitely the perception of influenza: Many people don't think it is serious," he added.

While the symptoms of flu can be similar to a common cold, the flu in general can be very serious.

"Five to 10 percent of people get ill from the flu every year, and many people can have serious complications caused by infection and even die," Kynčl said.

"It's not exceptional; many deaths are related or caused indirectly as a consequence of flu."

Laura Burgoine can be reached at
lburgoine@praguepost.com