ISLAMABAD: A senior health expert in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Thursday recommended people to adopt precautionary measures against aggravating seasonal influenza as flue and CoVID-19 could turn in to a more serious twindemic.

“For the past few weeks, cold and dry weather has been persisting in most parts of the country and the capital is also witnessing a sudden surge in number of affected patients of seasonal flue, mostly toddlers and school going children,” said Resident General Paediatrics, PIMS Hospital, Islamabad, Dr. Saima Sikandar.

She also recommended people to get administered influenza vaccine, especially children, as majority of the reported cases of infected with flue were those not inoculated against this seasonal disease. “The influenza virus wintertime seasonality is 2 to 3 months, between December and February, however due to antigenic drift after every year the number of cases increase” she said.

Advising against hospital nebulization kits to the patients having asthmatic condition or difficulty in breathing, she recommended to ensure constant intake of warm fluids, specifically meat soups to keep themselves warm and lungs clear.

The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) similar to that for Covid -19, she said, must be followed like avoiding direct contact with infected persons and practicing isolation once infected. She laid great emphasis on the importance of educating children at home and at schools on personal hygiene for instance using a tissue or covering mouth and nose with an elbow when sneezing or coughing, and washing hands frequently.