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 therefore cause very serious and significant encephalitis,” explains Massimo Andreoni, scientific director of Simit, the Italian Society for Infectious and Tropical Diseases, during a meeting organized by Pfizer. on the occasion of the launch of 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 arrives before ours, that the Australian flu is a very serious disease with many cases, more than 15 million, and many hospitalizations, so based on this data we must fear that there will also be a particularly serious flu in Italy. In our country, on average, between 5,000 and 15,000 people die each year from the flu 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 to 17th among 28 European countries in coverage in different age groups, which which highlights the urgency of improving vaccination compliance. “We expect a peak in flu and flu syndromes after the holidays. Promoting a culture of prevention is essential,” 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 protection rules apply: “We must always maintain the same measures, avoid the spread of the virus by walking without a mask, washing our hands , but above all protect ourselves with the vaccine, because it provides a certain type of immune response to reduce the severity of the disease,” he concludes. Peak after the holidays Among the diseases that Siliquini points out as most widespread 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 not only dangerous 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, the same protection rules apply: “We must always maintain the same measures, avoid the spread of the virus by walking without a mask, washing our hands, but above all protecting ourselves with the vaccine, because it provides a certain type of immune response to reduce the severity of the disease,” he concludes. Lungs, throat and brain “At the San Martino Polyclinic in Genoa, we have a first case of the H3N2 virus in a 76-year-old patient admitted to Infectious Diseases, who could not even recognize his wife. Among the first symptoms, he reported not being able to taste food when eating. The 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 finding that has already emerged in Australia and is proof of this. tropism of H3N2,” says Matteo Bassetti, director of Infectious Diseases at the San Martino Polyclinic in Genoa, to Adnkronos Salute. “Therefore, we must vaccinate because if we had more cases like this, or even encephalitis and neurological damage due to influenza, hospitals would have an overflow of patients and a difficult situation,” emphasizes Bassetti.