Readers: What do you want to know about the ‘tripledemic’?
Experts are warning about the triple threat of influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 this winter.
This winter, experts are warning of the triple threat of rising flu, RSV, and COVID cases that will burden hospitals and likely impact families with young children.
In the last three years, we’ve paid special attention to COVID cases in our communities, and the precautions we took to prevent its spread were also effective in curbing the spread of other common respiratory illnesses. Now that precautions have eased, those viruses are spreading more intensely and causing higher rates of hospitalization than we’ve previously seen.
Health experts say that influenza, RSV, and COVID are the viruses to worry about this season and have dubbed this a “tripledemic.” There have been at least 6.2 million illnesses, 53,000 hospitalizations, and 2,900 deaths from the flu this season, according to the CDC. RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common seasonal virus that has led to a spike in complications and hospitalizations for young children in recent weeks.
The viruses can cause similar symptoms so if you do get sick, it may be hard to identify which virus you’ve contracted. In order to stay healthy as cases go up this winter, it’s important to know what to look out for and how to prevent the spread in your community.
What do you want to know about the “tripledemic” and prevention best practices right now?
Tell us your questions and we’ll bring them to medical experts for answers on how you can stay healthy in the coming months and what to do if you do get sick. If you have unanswered questions about symptoms, precautions, and more, let us know and we may feature your question and its answer in a future article.
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