By Lynn Allison From Newsmax

Healthcare experts are warning that new cases of flurona have been detected. While flurona may sound like a new coronavirus variant or a rare tropical disease – it is in fact a simultaneous infection of COVID-19 and the flu.  The double illness is troubling, as the omicron variant surges through the nation just as the flu season ramps up into full swing. Since our current flu vaccine appears to be a poor match for this year’s virus, epidemiologists predict this could be a bad flu season on top of the coronavirus surge.

According to the India News Republic, Dr. Nahla Abdel Wahab, of Cairo University, said flurona may significantly disrupt the immune system due to the two viruses invading the human body at the same time. Israel announced its first case on December 31. It was diagnosed in a woman who went into labor and was not vaccinated against COVID-19. Israel has begun a fourth round of vaccinations of those most vulnerable to the coronavirus to help stave off the highly contagious omicron variant.

According to Business Insider, when both the flu and coronavirus are present in the body at the same time it is considered flurona disease. Since both the flu and COVID-19 are respiratory diseases, the symptoms are similar. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), while symptoms do vary from person to person, the most common are:

• loss of taste and smell

• cold and cough

• shortness of breath

• loss of appetite

• chest pain

Both the flu and COVID-19 are transmitted by aerosols in the air when an infected person speaks, coughs or sneezes, and a healthy person breathes in that air. Experts say that the disease usually causes symptoms between 2 to 10 days after exposure.

Experts say that the double infection can affect people of any age group.

“However, senior citizens, pregnant women, and children are more vulnerable to this virus,” Dr. Raghu J, an infectious disease expert at Sakra World Hospital in Bengaluru tells The Economic Times.

According to WHO, the best way to protect yourself against flurona is to continue prevention measures, such as social distancing, wearing a well-fitted mask, getting vaccinated against the flu and COVID, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces.

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