Pregnant woman becomes world’s first case of ‘flurona’

A young, pregnant woman in Israel has become what is believed to be the first case of “flurona”, prompting a health warning.

A young pregnant woman in Israel has become what is believed to be the first person infected with both Covid and the flu, becoming the world’s first case of what’s being touted as “flurona”.

According to local media, the woman tested positive for both viruses in Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva city, Israel, last week and has reportedly been suffering “mild” symptoms including having trouble breathing.

People wearing masks due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic walk at in Jerusalem. Picture: AFP

Professor Arnon Vizhnitser told local media the woman was diagnosed with both viruses “as soon as she arrived.

“Both tests came back positive, even after we checked again,” he told Hamodia.

“The disease is the same disease. They’re viral and cause difficulty breathing since both attack the upper respiratory tract.”

Experts across the world have taken interest in the case.

Australia’s former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth said it was not yet known whether the combination of the two viruses was more severe.

“We don’t always know whether that makes things more severe or not, but the message, for pregnant women in articulary, you’re certainly at increased risk of going to hospital, going to intensive care and having an adverse outcome for your unborn hcild if you’re not vaccinated,” he told Nine’s Today.

“So the critically important message from ‘flurona’ is that we’ve got a vaccine for both Covid-19 and influenza, and we should be taking them.”

Dr Nick Coatsworth commented on ‘flurona’ on Nine’s Today. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

In Israel, Prof Vizhnitser said hospitals were seeing more pregnant women with either Covid or flu, pointing out he two viruses can present very similarly.

“This is especially (diffcult) when you do not know if it’s coronavirus or the flu, so you refer to them the same. Most of the illness is respiratory.”

The “flurona” case comes after Israel’s Health Minister over the weekend said the country was extending its offer of a fourth vaccine dose to elderly people in care facilities.

Israel has already extended the rollout of fourth doses to people with weakened immunity.