Following Thanksgiving, more individuals are becoming ill and entering hospitals.
In a viral season that was already active, Thanksgiving led to an increase in respiratory diseases. Public health professionals warn that the upcoming holidays could be worse.
According to wastewater and federal hospitalisation data, the flu is still on the rise at its highest level in years. And, Covid-19 infection rates have lately risen across the United States as we approach the winter holidays.
Following an abnormally early season for the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which most frequently affects children and has filled beds in pediatric hospitals, the growing infections increase the risks for susceptible individuals, including elderly Americans.
As flu and Covid-19 infections spread, RSV infection levels are showing signs of cooling off but are still significant.
According to Dr. Catherine Troisi, an infectious diseases epidemiologist from the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, even if you avoided it at Thanksgiving, you might not during Christmas.
The cumulative flu hospitalisation rate in the surveillance network of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is at its highest level for this time of year in more than ten years. This season, a greater pool of susceptible patients presumably exists due to low vaccination rates and fewer recent exposures than in previous seasons, physicians added.
The County of Santa Clara’s public health director and health officer, Sara Cody, stated last week that there are numerous viruses in circulation. “You need to take action right away if you want to be healthy for the holidays,” Sara said.
After two fall and winter seasons with exceptionally low activity, the flu is now hitting hard for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic started. The CDC estimates that this flu season has seen at least 13 million cases, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 7,300 flu-related deaths, including 21 child fatalities.
Infectious disease specialist Dana Mazo of NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in New York stated, “We are obviously seeing a lot more upper respiratory infections, both in the outpatient clinic and being admitted to the hospital.” “We are getting ready for a surge,” Dana added.
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