https://7news.com.au/news/public-health/flurona-is-circulating-around-australia-...‘Flurona’ is circulating around Australia.
But what is it - and how can you tell the difference between COVID and the flu?
Alex Chapman
7NEWS
Published: 17/05/2022
Updated: Tuesday, 17 May 2022 11:18 AM AEST
A leading doctor is urging Australians to be vigilant for so-called “flurona” infections - as she dispels some common misconceptions.
Flurona made headlines earlier this month when a Victorian woman died after being diagnosed with both COVID and the flu.
Watch more on this story in the video above
Experts say there’s a heightened possibility people could be infected simultaneously as we enter the winter months.
Dr Nirvana Luckraj, the Chief Medical Officer at national public health information service Healthdirect, told 7NEWS.com.au flurona was commonly misconceived as a new virus.
In reality, she said, it’s a “non-medical term” that means someone has flu and COVID at the same time.
“With COVID continuing to circulate in the community and cases still high in some states, combined with the predicted flu season we are expecting now that restrictions have eased, it’s quite possible that a person could have flu and COVID at the same time,” she said.
“It’s something we want to prevent as these are both potentially severe illnesses and combined would be particularly serious.”
Vaccination is the key to avoiding serious illness, she said.
But don’t expect your COVID jabs to have any impact on the flu.
“The flu vaccine is specifically designed for flu virus and COVID vaccines for COVID – they don’t protect against each other so it’s important to get both vaccines for best prevention this winter.
“Vaccines are one of the most important
and simple measures we can take to keep ourselves, our families and communities healthy.”