Flu, RSV, COVID season: We’re not out of the woods

Ari Brown, MD, FAAP
·3 min read
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We’ve made it through the holiday gatherings, travel rush and spending more time indoors keeping warm, yet still we have another four months of flu and respiratory season ahead.

We’re not quite out of the woods, and it’s not too late to get your flu shot. The CDC recommends children six months and older and all adults, especially seniors over 65 and those with additional health risks such as pregnancy, diabetes, heart and lung disease, get the flu shot. Flu vaccinations have shown efficacy in preventing the illness and reducing the severity of the illness should you get the flu, avoiding hospitalization and even death.

The 411 on flu right now:

Flu season is pretty predictable and this year is no exception. The flu revved up in October and I expect it to last until April, which often surprises people.

And now, flu cases are skyrocketing, mostly A strain (H1N1) and some A strain H3N2, sporadic B strain, which is all par for the course. The south and southeast areas of the U.S. have the highest number of cases but cases will spread across the entire country soon.

Here’s why this information could be a life-saver: sadly, we have had several pediatric deaths nationwide -- 40 thus far. I can’t say it enough, be sure you and your family are vaccinated.

We have another four months of flu and respiratory season ahead.
We have another four months of flu and respiratory season ahead.

RSV:

RSV is also a pretty predictable–and horrible–virus we see every winter season, often arriving before flu shows up and concurrently with flu, also October to May. Last year's RSV season was exceptional because it was severe and early in the season.

This year is pretty average and it seems to have started and peaked in the south thus far.

Because the new RSV vaccine in pregnancy and RSV monoclonal antibody for babies were only recently available and only in limited quantities, it will be interesting to see if there is any impact on the severity and frequency of RSV this year. I suspect next year will be much more impactful.

COVID season: Interestingly, there isn’t one

COVID is really interesting and perplexing. We would expect it to take on a seasonal pattern like we see with flu and RSV, but we have not seen that so far.  We had higher levels of infection in August and September, then a dip prior to the holidays, but cases are rising again. The JN.1 variant is starting to rise significantly. So, it is hard to say when it will peak and why there is not any seasonality to this virus yet.

How to Stay Healthy:

Yes, some viruses like cooler weather and those that spread by respiratory droplets (coughing and sneezing) and close contact will spread more easily when people are spending more time indoors. RSV also spreads by touching contaminated surfaces with respiratory secretions (called fomites).

Avoiding really close contact with social distancing, washing hands, not touching your face, wearing a mask (I wear one during all of my patient encounters now during respiratory season), and yes, getting vaccinated are all ways to reduce the spread of these illnesses.

If you have a newborn especially, or a young infant in your household, try to protect them by having others in the household get vaccinated, limit the number of visitors to your home, and ask them to stay home if they feel unwell. Babies are especially susceptible to severe illness, particularly with RSV and flu.

Dr. Ari Brown is a board-certified pediatrician, Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and author of 411 Parenting books. She practices in Austin, Texas.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Flu, RSV, COVID season: We’re not out of the woods