SENG PHOO — As Burma braces for the annual rainy season prevalence of influenza, locals and medical workers are concerned about how the virus will interact with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

People are more afraid of the coronavirus than the flu, according to a recent public opinion poll in Shan State, despite the flu’s particular vulnerabilities for pregnant women, children and the elderly.

“If we stay at home, it’s difficult to be affected by the COVID-19. But the seasonal flu can affect people even if they stay at home,” father of two Sai Fa told SHAN of his perception of the viruses.

Some communities with access to the government’s healthcare can get flu vaccines in June.

Dr. Hla Htay Min, the head of the public hospital in Kengtung, eastern Shan State, said that the COVID-19 pandemic remains the primary threat in the country.  

“Currently, COVID-19 is very dangerous. Seasonal flu affects people every year. We don’t need to worry about it more than COVID-19,” the doctor told SHAN, adding that there is not yet a vaccine for the coronavirus.  

According to a report from the Ministry of Health and Sports, a total of 806 people were affected by seasonal flu and 128 people had died from it in Shan State in 2019. Infections climbed during the last week of June, peaked in the first half of July, and then steadily declined through October.

By contrast, six people have been confirmed to have died from COVID-19 over the last three months in Burma.

Deputy head of the Shan State health department Dr. Hnin Ei Phyu said monitoring for fever is the main way to be vigilant against both illnesses.

“During this period, fever surveillance is the key action,” she said.

“I am afraid of COVID-19 rather than the seasonal flu,” Nang Mwe, who is pregnant, told SHAN, adding, that she is “living on alert.”