What to find out about signs, vaccine
Though the “triple epidemic” – COVID-19, RSV and influenza – stays an issue in lots of locations, specialists say the flu is beginning to hit the nation laborious.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious illness specialist at Vanderbilt College Medical Middle in Nashville, Tennessee, mentioned he noticed the primary indicators that RSV infections may stabilize after an early soar, whereas COVID-19 “smolders”.
However “the flu is fierce,” he mentioned.
About 20,000 individuals have been hospitalized with the flu final week, in accordance with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, almost double the quantity from the earlier week.
“Flu hospitalizations proceed to be the very best we have seen presently of 12 months in a decade,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky mentioned in a briefing on Tuesday.
This is what you could know:
Extra US well being information TODAY:
COVID, RSV, influenza: the state of the “triple epidemic”
COVID-19[FEMININE: Les experts disent que les cas de coronavirus ne donnent plus une image précise de la pandémie alors que les Américains testent à domicile et que les résultats ne sont pas signalés. Mais les responsables de la santé constatent une augmentation des cas et des hospitalisations depuis Thanksgiving, a déclaré Walensky. Au cours de la dernière semaine de novembre, le CDC a rapporté :
- 4 650 hospitalisations
- 1 780 décès
VRS : La transmission reste élevée mais semble avoir « culminé » dans le sud et le sud-est, et se « stabilise » dans le centre de l’Atlantique, la Nouvelle-Angleterre et le Midwest, a déclaré Walensky.
Grippe: Trente et une juridictions aux États-Unis, qui comprennent des États, des grandes villes et des territoires, signalent un niveau “très élevé” d’activité grippale, et 16 signalent des niveaux “élevés”, selon le CDC. Jusqu’à présent cette saison, l’agence a rapporté:
- 8,7 millions de cas
- 78 000 hospitalisations
- 4 500 décès
Flu signs: what does the flu seem like?
Flu signs: Fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, congestion, runny nostril, headache and fatigue.
Flu strains: There are 4 kinds of influenza viruses – A, B, C, and D – however the strains that sometimes trigger seasonal flu are influenza A and B. The CDC says that influenza C primarily causes gentle sickness and influenza D is generally seen in cattle, not individuals.
How lengthy does the flu final?
Indicators and signs of the flu normally go away after three to seven days, in accordance with the CDC, however normal weak spot and fatigue can last as long as two weeks.
Learn extra vaccine information:
Flu vaccine: the place to get vaccinated towards the flu?
This 12 months’s flu shot matches nicely with the three strains Schaffner mentioned he sees most frequently in Nashville. In response to specialists, the prevalence of all three strains on the similar time “explains, at the least partially, (for) why we’ve got a lot flu,” he mentioned.
However too few individuals get the flu shot. About 40% of youngsters have been vaccinated by November 19 and about 36% of adults by the top of October, in accordance with the newest accessible information from the CDC.
“Right here, like all over the place, the acceptance of the flu vaccine has been disappointing,” he mentioned. “Individuals are actually getting vaccine fatigue.”
Specialists say it is by no means too late to get a flu shot. This is the place to get one:
- The physician’s workplace: Specialists advise individuals to name forward earlier than making an appointment to verify the vaccine they need or want is offered.
- Pharmacy: Main drugstore retailers, resembling Walgreens and CVS, provide flu photographs and settle for walk-ins or on-line appointments.
What’s the distinction between a chilly and the flu?
Chilly signs are typically much less extreme than flu signs, however many signs overlap: fever, runny nostril, sore throat, cough, and normal fatigue.
In response to specialists, the one definitive approach to know the distinction between a chilly and the flu is thru testing. Sufferers could be examined for COVID-19 and influenza concurrently with a single swab.
How one can deal with the flu
Specialists say most flu infections could be handled at house with relaxation and loads of fluids. Medical doctors could, nonetheless, prescribe an antiviral to sufferers who’re prone to critical sickness.
4 antivirals are licensed for influenza in the USA, however probably the most extensively used is understood by its model identify Tamiflu.
However antivirals work greatest when taken early in sickness, so it is essential to debate choices with a physician earlier than you get sick, mentioned Dr. Pedro Piedra, professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor Faculty of Medical.
“We at the moment are positively in flu season, and there are a number of them round us,” he mentioned. “It is essential to plan forward.”
Contributor: Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY. Observe Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.
Protection of affected person well being and security at USA TODAY is made attainable partially by a grant from the Masimo Basis for Ethics, Innovation and Competitors in Healthcare. The Masimo Basis doesn’t present editorial contributions.
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