At first sight, flurona is as it sounds - a mix of flu and coronavirus - but what does it mean exactly?
Flurona is to unfortunately have the flu and coronavirus at the same time.
Both illnesses were identified in an unvaccinated pregnant woman in Israel just earlier this week.
Two schoolchildren in the US have since been diagnosed with flurona in Texas and California.
To have a double infection the flu and Covid at the same time sounds very grim indeed.
As for its severity, it is not yet known whether it is more dangerous than each virus on its own.
Wondering what there is to know about flurona so far? Read on...
What is flurona and how serious is it?
Flurona is to have flu and coronavirus at the same time.
As Omicron cases skyrocket during cold and flu season, it is possible to have different illnesses at the same time.
It is not yet known whether the condition is more dangerous than the regular forms of either virus.
Dr Frank Esper, a physician at the Cleveland Clinic Children's Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases, said it would most likely occur predominantly in children, reported The Mirror.
"I expect to see plenty of co-infections going forward, but I don't see anything that suggests it makes Covid infections worse," he said.
"Those are two viral pathogens that we actually have medicines for.
"Hands down, the number one predisposition for having more than one virus at the same time is your age, and it's really children under five.
"They all have virus[es] running rampant and swap them like trading cards."
What are the symptoms of flurona?
Information about the combination illness is limited.
The first confirmed case of flurona, an unvaccinated pregnant woman in her 30s, had difficulty breathing.
"She was diagnosed with the flu and coronavirus as soon as she arrived," said Arnon Wiznitzer, director of the Beilinson Women's Department, whilst speaking to local news outlet Hamodia.
"Both tests came back positive, even after we checked again.
"The disease is the same disease: they’'e viral and cause difficulty breathing since both attack the upper respiratory tract."
Who had the first case of flurona?
The first case of flurona was confirmed on Tuesday, January 4.
The patient, who was a 30-something unvaccinated pregnant woman, was discharged from hospital 'in good general condition' said Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel.
Dr Wiznitzer said in a statement: "This is the first mother to be diagnosed with influenza and corona in Beilinson.
"We treated her with a drug combination that targets both corona and flu.
"We are seeing more and more morbidity of influenza among the maternity population, along with cases of corona that mainly occur in women not vaccinated against corona and influenza.
"This is definitely a challenging time that in addition to the corona diseases we are increasingly dealing with flu."
What are the symptoms of flu and coronavirus?
NHS Scotland has outlined the main symptoms of the flu.
Flu symptoms
- A high temperature (fever) of 38C (100.4F) or above
- Tiredness and weakness
- A headache
- General aches and pains
- A dry, chesty cough
There are three main Covid symptoms according to the NHS.
Coronavirus symptoms
- A high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- A new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
