Flu is leaving, but new viruses carry a risk of bronchitis and pneumonia. This is what experts warn about.
„Viruses do not take a break, they change seasons. There is nothing serious and severe at the moment“, said on „This Morning“ Prof. Iva Hristova, director of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases.
„We have tamed the coronavirus – at first it was wild, with very serious consequences, but now we will get through it more and more easily. It very rarely leads to complications – in risk groups“, explained Hristova.
According to her, at the moment it is almost indistinguishable from an infection and if a study is not done, we will not know exactly what it is.
„There are isolated cases of coronavirus and influenza at the moment. There is respiratory syncytial virus, adenoviruses and parainfluenza viruses, as well as rhinoviruses in children under 5 years old“, explained Prof. Iva Hristova.
Regarding spraying against mosquitoes, she commented that the issue is serious and must be approached as quickly as possible.
„The peak of mosquito activity is August and September. May is the time to start spraying. For ticks, this period has even passed“, she explained.
Prof. Hristova also commented on the situation with hantavirus. According to her, there is no risk of it spreading in Europe.
„The moment the virus was identified and the disease was known, measures were taken to prevent its spread. It is not new, so there is nothing that poses significant pressure for specialists. All passengers were taken out on separate planes and with all necessary rules for infection prevention“, explained the director of the National Center for Communicable and Parasitic Diseases.
In her words, in general, this is a virus that is difficult to transmit from person to person and therefore there are not many infected.
„Most likely, 95% of them will not develop any symptoms, and the others will be treated. It is important to prevent the spread of the infection. At the moment, this epidemic outbreak is not expanding“, specified Prof. Iva Hristova.
She explained that in close and prolonged contact, the virus can be transmitted.
“The incubation period is usually 2-3 weeks, but it is described as a maximum of 6 weeks – in isolated cases. In the coming week, anyone who does not develop symptoms is unlikely to develop them. I assume that in another month at most we will all have forgotten about this case“, is Hristova's opinion.
According to her, hantaviruses are everywhere. In 2025, there were four cases in our country, and in 2024 – two.
“It is only transmitted by rodents everywhere and the cases are isolated. There is no epidemic outbreak, the sick person is not the source of the infection“, specified Prof. Iva Hristova, adding that we will soon forget about this virus.