Doctors reporting a range of flu infections this winter season
The infections include Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Influenza A, better known as swine flu, and influenza B types.
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CAPE TOWN - The winter season in 2025 has brought with it more than just icy cold and rainy conditions.
Doctors are reporting a range of flu infections, which include Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Influenza A, better known as swine flu and Influenza B types.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NCID) said there has been an increase in these types of infections this winter season.
The institute’s Anne von Gottberg explained: “Most predominantly, it’s been H1N1, which is not unexpected, we’ve had one or two other types, and there's three types that we would be expecting - two Influenza A types and one influenza B type - and at the moment, its exactly as expected.”
Gottberg said flu vaccines are assessed each year to make sure they are still a good preventative measure.
“Well, they are slightly different, which is why we need to give the influenza vaccine each year. So, the influenza virus drifts a little. It has small changes in its genome, in its genetic background, and that makes it slightly different each year and that's the reason for reviewing the vaccine and making sure that we have updated influenza virus components in the Influenza vaccine.”