"Influenza is more dangerous for children than the corona" Israel today

Research in Bnei Brak: Children are more likely to be hospitalized due to the flu - up to five times more than Corona • The study's editor warns: "Among adults, the picture is completely different"

What is more dangerous for children?

Corona, measles or flu?

A study conducted among children in Bnei Brak found that the rate of hospitalizations and complications due to measles and influenza morbidity was significantly higher than the rate of hospitalizations and complications after corona morbidity.

Archive // ​​Photo: Paz Bar

According to the study, a child with the flu was 5 to 3 times more likely to be hospitalized than a child with coronary heart disease, and the chance of being hospitalized for measles was much higher - about 45 times more than for a corona.

The researchers compared the number of measles cases reported in Bnei Brak to the number of hospitalizations in the city.

Regarding morbidity in Corona, compare hospitalizations to antibody surveys done in the city, and check the extent of infection, and in the flu refer to the Ministry of Health's assessment of the proportion of children infected last year.

The study was presented at the annual conference of the Association of Pediatricians.

Prof. Eli Somekh, who conducted the study, noted that "these findings refer to children and not adults, where the picture is completely different. However, at the time of flu and measles outbreaks there were no rules of social distance behavior, which is an important factor influencing the results.

"These findings reinforce the need to continue to maintain a high level of vaccination against influenza, measles and other childhood diseases, even during the corona period."

Meanwhile, the flu has not yet reached Israel, but 1.6 million Israelis, 18 percent of the population, have already been vaccinated.

This is three times higher than the corresponding period last winter.

A report by the National Center for Disease Control shows that there is a large increase in the rate of people getting vaccinated against the flu.