Those travelling to Tenerife have been warned to take extreme action after the sunshine island was ‘gripped by deadly infection’.
A huge rise in ‘deadly’ winter viruses has arisen on the Canary Islands which is popular among winter sunshine hotspots overseas. But there has been a surge in the number of cases of Covid, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) after a fivefold rise in the number of cases since August. This has led to an official warning being issued by the Canary Islands Association of Primary Care Physicians. Authorities in Spain say the trio of viruses combined have now hit 794 people in a sample of 100,000 people.
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It is now 60 per 100,000 in England and 10 times lower than the Spanish archipelago, according to government figures. The conditions are expected to result in mild symptoms for healthy, young people. But older people travelling there with underlying conditions and parents with infants could be at risk of illness which is life-threatening. GB News reports, Ana Joyanes, president of the Canary Islands Association of Primary Care Physicians (AMAPCAN), said the cases in the region are expected to rise over the winter months. A peak occurred last year in mid-December when cases recorded reached 1,296 per 100,000 residents.
Ms Joyanes said: “Vaccination is essential to make the impact of these infections milder or avoid them altogether, especially if you are over 60 years of age or classed as vulnerable. Anyone with respiratory symptoms should wear a mask to prevent transmission. Both flu and Covid can be deadly. If we are protected, we will fare better against the viruses.”
The area’s Ministry of Health is expected to meet this month to establish if mandatory mask-wearing is needed to control the spread. The Canary Islands attracts sun-seeking visitors for winter sun breaks and millions travel there every year. Those band for Tenerife, Lanzarote, Grand Canaria, Fuerteventura, El Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma have all been hit by the alert
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The health warning comes as people in the UK are being told to brace for a ‘quadrupledemic’ after an upsurge in norovirus cases. The Mirror recently told how a new winter vomiting bug is is ripping through the UK and is reaching unusually high levels for this time of year
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed the strain – also known as GII.17 -now makes up about 70 per cent of all cases of the vomiting bug. It added norovirus activist between October 14 and 27 was 16 per cent higher than in the last two-week period. Reports were more than double the five-season average for the same two-week period. The UKHSA said it was likely that multiple factors contributed to the increase of laboratory observed cases.
It added changes to epidemiology following the COVID-19 pandemic as well as changes in testing and reporting to national surveillance possibly contributed to improved reporting.
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