Europe faces threat of prolonged 'twindemic' as flu returns amid rising Covid-19 cases

Since mid-December, flu viruses have been circulating in Europe at a higher-than-expected rate.

New Delhi: Influenza has returned to Europe at a faster-than-expected rate this winter after almost disappearing last year, raising concerns about a prolonged "twindemic" with COVID-19 amid some doubts about the effectiveness of flu vaccines.

Lockdowns, mask-wearing and social distancing that have become the norm in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic knocked out flu last winter, temporarily eradicating a virus that globally kills about 650,000 a year, according to EU figures. But that has now changed as countries adopt less strict measures to fight COVID-19 due to widespread vaccination.

Twindemic is referred to the possibility of a severe flu season happening alongside an increase in COVID-19 cases and its consequence can be a mixture of two different infections in the same person at the same time.