Opinion: After a two year absence, the flu is definitely back

Flu season is in full swing in Northland as the return of this winter villain hits the region. Photo / 123rf

OPINION

The only upside of having had this year's flu is that I've never been relatable to so many people.

I thought being imprisoned in bed by severe body aches, and fevers that catapulted from sweat-drenched pyjamas to layers of jumpers, duvets and an electric blanket on full was unique – it is not.

Maybe it would have been in 2020 when flu rates plummeted by 99.9 per cent as borders closed, national lockdowns and other Covid-19 measures began, and flu vaccination uptake was high.

But this year is a different story. Students are missing en-masse from classrooms – teachers too, and workplaces have to cope with staff shortages.

Whangārei Intermediate School principal Hayley Read told RNZ that about 100 pupils were away every day - some sick and with whānau sticking to staying home if unwell.

ESR's flu surveillance shows the influenza rate in Northland for the week ending June 17 was 42 per 100,000 population compared to the end of May when the rate was only 13.4 per 100,000.

Quite obviously our old winter foe is back - armed and dangerous.

When I was off work and frantically rearranging interviews a number of people replied with complete understanding as they had their own horror flu story.

Kids, grandparents, dads, mums – the flu doesn't seem to care who you are, it's on a mission.

But that's not entirely true as I learned from Tracey Schiebli, General Manager Medical & Elder Services at the Northland District Health Board.

She gave me quite a lengthy list of who is impacted more by the flu. On it were people 65 or over, Māori and Pacific people aged 55 and over, pregnant māmās; those who have a health condition such as diabetes and heart disease; children four and under who've been hospitalised for respiratory illness, measles or have a history of significant respiratory illness are at greater risk of being affected by influenza.

We're particularly vulnerable this year also as two years of closed borders means new strains of the flu are potentially waiting in the wings for us.

The DHB is poised for higher influenza rates because we haven't been exposed to many of the infections that normally circulate when our borders are open.

As Schiebli put it, our immune systems are out of practice.

That worries me. Normally more than 200,000 New Zealanders catch influenza each year, from which roughly 500 people die from it.

And Covid has taught me that our 'she'll be right' mantra isn't as invincible as you grow up believing.

Especially since you'll have to repeat the saying as the strains of the virus which cause the flu constantly change so you can catch it more than once.

Hence each year the vaccine formulation is reviewed and updated to keep up with changing flu viruses.

And this year is looking positive – touch wood. Schiebli said early data shows there's a good match between the flu viruses being seen this year and the flu strain in this year's vaccine.

She encouraged anyone who hasn't had a flu vaccination yet to join the 60 per cent of Northlanders who have. If you were wondering, no gap is needed between Covid and flu jabs.

But vaccination aside, I feel like we're better prepared to help protect others from influenza as our pandemic years have taught us the value of masks, zealous handwashing and social distancing.