The Greeks, the originators of Western science and rational thought, are also prone to outbursts of irrationality (though they are not alone in that). The inhabitants of a land with sparse resources and an unforgiving climate, they are hardy and independent, but four hundred years of Turkish occupation have left them with an ingrained suspicion of authority, and the two combined have resulted in a population which sometimes seems near to ungovernable. It has led to the twin national sports of tax evasion and illegal building, which persist despite successive governments’ attempts to curb them, and it is revealed in the public suspicion of many government measures ostensibly designed to make life easier or safer for the ordinary citizen.
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Experts recommend flu vaccination for the coming winter
All those who got vaccinated against flu in previous years should do it again this year especially, as a big wave of flu is expected this winter, Nikos Tzanakis, professor of Pneumonology at the University of Crete told ERT1’s Weekend programme on Sunday 27th November. “Now is the time to get vaccinated,” the professor said.
“This year there is an early proliferation of viruses which are chiefly affecting children, who are carrying them home from the schools and nurseries, with the result that older people get sick. Chiefly these are people who are vulnerable, either from their immune system being compromised by drugs, or because they are very old, with the result that they suffer greatly from these feverish flu-like conditions, as we call them,” Mr Tzanakis said.
He noted that paediatricians and paediatric clinics are currently under great pressure because of multiple respiratory infections. Many children are getting quite severe symptoms, even having to be admitted to hospital and treated with oxygen and other respiratory aids.
Masks give protection against flu
Asked about the need to continue wearing masks, the Professor said that as both the coronavirus and flu are respiratory infections, “the best method of protection from them is the mask and the proper use of hand disinfectant. I don’t think that we need to make [the mask] obligatory again, but the most vulnerable people and the aged are well advised to wear it wherever they feel unsafe: in crowds, in places where people gather, at public service offices and chiefly on public transport.”
As regards flu vaccination, he said, “There is some activity, but it is not what we expected. It is not what we achieved in other years and we believe that this is due to people suffering from vaccine fatigue. That is to say, people hear the word vaccination and have a negative reaction, they don’t want to do it precisely because of the repeated vaccinations for Covid.”
Covid produces a mild infection at present, the professor said: “At the moment the flu virus is more dangerous, it can produce more severe problems particularly among the aged and those who have problems with their immune system. Anyone who got vaccinated against flu in previous years should do it again especially this year, where we are expecting a major wave of flu which will start near Christmas and will peak in January/February. Therefore, it is very much the right year for us to get the flu vaccine.”
The deputy Health minister’s view
The deputy Health minister and pneumonologist Mina Gaga agrees with the professor: “It looks as though we will have a worse winter for respiratory infections, especially as for two years we didn’t have normal contacts and for that reason were less exposed to germs and viruses than we normally are. Our immunity has ‘dropped’.
“At the same time, as all those who are infected by the coronavirus are more vulnerable for a while, it’s obvious that they may get a bit sicker with flu, or in the case of children, with a respiratory virus. So we are seeing quite a few infections, mainly in children.”
Asked if there is an interaction between flu and the coronavirus, the minister said: “What we are seeing is certainly more infections from flu and we have been seeing them since the summer. This is probably due to the fact that for two years we were wearing masks and were shut up in our houses. This meant that we had no contact with flu viruses.
“The second reason is that those who catch the coronavirus – and there are many cases, more than 50,000 a week at present – are a bit more vulnerable for a while, as always happens with respiratory infections.
“That is to say, if someone gets Covid they are more vulnerable to infection with flu and vice versa, but always after a respiratory infection until they are completely recovered.” (Haniotika Nea, 28th November)