With the flu epidemic, Google searches for viruses soar

The flu epidemic caused by the Influenza A virus subtype H3N2 has aroused interest and dominates internet research. This is what data released by Google Trends show.

In the last seven days, consultations for the virus in general jumped 2,220%, and terms related to the disease also soared. Interest in “h3n2 flu” rose by more than 2,600%, “h3n2 symptoms” increased by more than 2,350%, and “h3n2 influenza” surpassed 1,250%.

In the previous seven days, the Influenza A virus subtype H3N2 already occupied the leadership of this ranking of health consultations after searches for the virus surpassed 750%.

With the disease spreading, the term “flu shot” was also heavily searched on Google Trends. Searches rose more than 140% in the last seven days, and the vaccine is the second most researched immunizing agent in Brazil, only behind the product against Covid-19.

Other research related to the influenza outbreak also draws attention: “h3n2 vaccine where to take” has risen above 1,250% in the past seven days, while “flu vaccine protects against h3n2” has grown by more than 700%.

According to the platform, the current interest in the virus is record and higher than that registered in April 2018, when an outbreak of the Influenza virus affected the US and also generated cases in Brazil. Since 2004, when the Google Trends history series began, there hasn’t been as much search for H3N2 as in December 2021.

In relation to other countries, in the last seven days, Brazil was the one that most researched for the virus in the world — an interest 50 times greater than that registered in Peru, the second best-positioned country in the ranking.

In searches for flu vaccine, Brazil was the third country that did the most searches on Google and is only behind Finland and Sweden.

On the most popular questions about Influenza A virus subtype H3N2 over the past seven days are:

What is H3N2?

What does H3N2 mean?

What to take for H3N2?

How long does the H3N2 flu last?

How to treat the H3N2 virus?

What is influenza?

Does H3N2 have a vaccine?

What does the H1N1 vaccine protect against?

Or what to take for influenza A?

What to take to cure H3N2?

What is good for flu?

What is known about H3N2?

Where to test for H3N2 influenza?

How is the H3N2 outbreak in São Paulo?

How do I know if I’ve got H3N2?

In the ranking of doubts about the vaccine, in the same period, there are:

Where to get the flu shot?

Who can get the flu shot?

What to take to get the flu vaccine?

What happens if I get the flu flu shot?

What does the flu vaccine protect against?

What do you need to get the flu shot?

What is the influenza vaccine?

Who can’t get a flu shot?

When can I get the flu vaccine?

Can you drink after the flu shot?

The ranking does not show any questions about ways to protect against the flu caused by the Influenza H3N2 virus. It is the same as the coronavirus: physical distance, use of a mask, avoid agglomerations and remain indoors and without natural ventilation.

Why use the internet?

For Liliana Seger, Ph.D. in Psychology from the Institute of Psychology at USP and coordinator of the Intermittent Explosive Disorder Program of the Impulse Disorders Outpatient Clinic of the Institute of Psychiatry of the USP School of Medicine, the pandemic has increased anxiety and fear of disease and death, which made people start looking for information much more.

“The influenza virus is bringing hospitalizations and this has scared people a lot,” he says.

The second reason is that most people do not have easy access to a doctor. Making an appointment takes a long time and Google is at hand.

“The third thing is that today the internet is an access to everything. We need to equip people to carry out more accurate searches”, says the specialist.

There is still a fourth reason, according to Seger. “Some people with generalized anxiety disorder are always thinking the worst. They also Google to somehow calm down or have control of more variables,” he explains.