WPBN: As we start the New Year, hospital visits due to respiratory infections are increasing in several states.
The latest data shows that emergency department visits nationwide from patients with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or influenza are now “very high,” the highest threshold the CDC considers. Although COVID visits are currently low, flu, RSV, and COVID-19 visits are all rising as mid-January draws closer.
According to the CDC, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and New Hampshire have the highest rates of emergency room visits for respiratory conditions ranging from the common cold to COVID-19.
The CDC used a baseline of the average sickness activity level during periods when COVID, flu, and RSV visits were low to determine its activity levels (minimum, low, moderate, high, and very high).
RSV has kept pediatric hospitals busy since November, but “influenza has joined the party,” according to Dr. Jason Newland, an infectious diseases specialist at Columbus, Ohio’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
What signs of COVID-19, RSV, and the flu are present?
Anyone who has fought a mysterious respiratory disease has probably questioned what they have to deal with while they’re getting better.
Concerned parents may find those symptoms particularly upsetting.
Unfortunately, RSV, flu, and COVID-19 can all present with many of the same symptoms, such as fever, coughing, dyspnea, congestion, and fatigue.
According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, medical personnel may employ a diagnostic test to be certain.
However, some symptoms are specific to RSV and influenza.
For example, children with RSV may develop a wheeze, which produces a rattle or whistling sound as they breathe.
The Cleveland Clinic states that fevers that are extremely high, measuring 103 or 104 degrees Fahrenheit, are a clear indication of the flu.
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How can I defend myself?
It’s not too late to get vaccinated against the flu, according to U.S. health experts, who advise everyone aged 6 months and up to receive a yearly dose.
Additionally, health officials advise against touching your lips, nose, or eyes as these areas are known to transmit germs. Additionally, you should minimize direct contact with ill persons, clean frequently touched surfaces, and wash your hands with soap and water.
They’re keeping an eye on other pathogens.
In addition, the CDC has been monitoring an increase in norovirus infections, a stomach ailment, with 91 outbreaks documented in the first few days of December.
Researchers have also been keeping a careful eye on the Type A H5N1 avian flu virus, another type of influenza virus. According to the CDC, there were 66 human cases of that in the United States last year, but none of them occurred in the past week.
According to Reed, the occurrences are “fairly sporadic,” and there is still little overall risk to the public. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission, and nearly all have been linked to direct contact with diseased animals.
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