KENYA – The Kenyan Health Ministry has reported a possible spike in cases of influenza in the country as the rainy and cold weather sets in.

Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory viral infection caused by influenza viruses which circulate in all parts of the world estimated to result in about 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness and about 290,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths.

There are four types of influenza viruses namely A, B, C and D where human influenza A and B viruses cause seasonal surge of the disease transmission known as flu season during almost every rainy season in Kenya.

When an infected person coughs or sneezes, droplets containing viruses are dispersed into the air and can spread up to one meter and infect persons in close proximity who breathe these droplets in, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Seasonal influenza is characterized by a sudden onset of fever, dry cough, headache, muscle and joint pain, severely feeling unwell, sore throat and a runny nose.

Although most people recover from fever and other symptoms within a week without requiring medical attention, influenza can cause severe illness ranging from mild to severe and even death especially in people at high risk.

The flu season in Kenya mainly follows the rain and the cold weather usually between April and August and another surge in transmission is expected during the October-December short rains season.

The health ministry dismissed the fear of a possible outbreak of the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that might be associated with the flu season, noting that seasonal coronaviruses should not be confused with SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The Director of Public Health at the ministry Dr. Francis Kuria said that even though there was a slight spike in the influenza positivity rate last week, it is not clear whether there is a relationship between the two viruses.

We had noted a slight spike in our positivity rate last week to one per cent, we kept monitoring but we are back to our below 0.5 numbers so no cause for alarm,” he said.

Dr. Francis Kuria further said that with the season for influenza coming in, the health ministry will be dealing with more influenza cases while assuring that the ministry would closely monitor the trend.

He maintained that Flu vaccines are available between KES1,000(US$8.65) and KES2,000(US$17.30) but they are largely not available in public hospitals.

The Influenza vaccine is most effective way to prevent the disease thus annual vaccination is recommended to protect against influenza due to the constant evolving nature of influenza viruses.

He advised that children under five years and adults above 65 should get vaccinated against flu alongside people with weakened immunity who particularly suffer the most when they catch the influenza virus.

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