Is the Australian flu dangerous for the brain? This new flu variant, along with RSV, Covid and pneumococcal pneumonia, are the main seasonal respiratory infections whose contributing factors could cause an increase in encephalitis, especially among those over 60 years of age and people with chronic diseases. Infectious disease specialists urge vaccination. “It is important to remember that all influenza viruses can reach the central nervous system and cause very serious and significant encephalitis,” explains Massimo Andreoni, scientific director of the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases (Simit), during a meeting organized by Pfizer will present the ‘Get used to Protect yourself’ campaign, to raise awareness about the importance of vaccination against respiratory infections. Brain damage “The more severe the flu, the greater the number of cases that affect the central nervous system,” he continues. “We have already seen in the other hemisphere, where winter comes before ours, that the Australian flu is a very serious disease with many cases, more than 15 million, and many hospitalizations. Therefore, based on this data, we should fear that in Italy there will also be a particularly serious flu season. In our country, an average of between 5,000 and 15,000 people die each year from the flu. Vaccination becomes essential. Symptoms and mortality In Italy, diseases such as pneumonia and. flu are among the top ten causes of death. However, vaccination coverage rates in the country remain unsatisfactory: according to a recent ECDC report, Italy ranks 16th and 17th among 28 European countries in coverage in different countries. age groups, highlighting the urgent need to improve vaccination uptake. “We should expect a peak in flu and flu syndromes after the holidays. Promoting a culture of prevention is crucial,” continues Roberta Siliquini, president of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health (SitI). “An effective vaccination campaign, careful planning and widespread organization are necessary to ensure that everyone citizens have access to the protections available against the main respiratory viruses.” Regarding the Australian flu, the same rules apply to protect themselves: “you must always maintain the same measures, avoid spreading the infection by walking without a mask, washing your hands , but above all protect yourself with the vaccine, because it provides some type of immune response to reduce the severity of the disease,” he concludes. Peak after the holidays Among the diseases highlighted by Siliquini with the greatest spread during this fall-winter, “the flu, “Sars-CoV-2, which is no longer so seasonal, has peaks even outside of autumn-winter, and respiratory syncytial virus, which is dangerous not only for adults and vulnerable people but also for newborns.” For Siliquini, “an effective vaccination campaign, careful planning and widespread organization are necessary to ensure that all citizens have access to the available protections against the main respiratory viruses.” Regarding the Australian flu, to protect yourself “you must always maintain the same measures, avoid spreading the infection by walking without a mask, wash your hands, but above all protect yourself with the vaccine, because it provides some type of immune response.” to reduce the severity of the disease”, he concludes. Lungs, throat and taste “At the San Martino Polyclinic in Genoa, we have a first case of H3N2 virus in a 76-year-old patient, hospitalized in Infectious Diseases, who could not even recognize his wife. Among the first symptoms, he reported not being able to taste food when eating. Flu season does not bode well; This is a virus that affects not only the lungs and throat but also the brain. This is an important fact, which has already emerged in Australia. , and demonstrates the tropism of H3N2,” Matteo Bassetti, director of Infectious Diseases at the San Martino Polyclinic in Genoa, tells Adnkronos Salute. “Therefore, we must get vaccinated because if we had more cases like this, or even encephalitis and neurological impairment due to flu, hospitals would face an overflow of patients and a difficult situation,” Bassetti emphasizes.