Category: Flu Virus

You can expect more runny noses, coughs, and fevers ahead as levels of flu, COVID-19, and RSV continue to be elevated across the country.

The latest weekly update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 26 shows that the number of people seeking healthcare for fever plus cough or sore throat is elevated but decreasing in most areas. In some locales, such as Toledo, Ohio, and Milwaukee, news outlets are reporting that respiratory illness is going strong, with indicators climbing in the past week.

RELATED: 10 Tips for Day and Night Cough Relief

Although respiratory illnesses may be persisting, their spread overall appears to be waning. This week, 22 jurisdictions experienced high or very high activity, compared with 37 jurisdictions two weeks ago.

Although public health officials have been on the alert for a second period of increasing influenza activity that often occurs after the winter holidays, the federal flu surveillance report for January 26 shows positive tests holding steady but hospitalizations and deaths dipping downward. That said, an additional 10 pediatric deaths related to flu were recorded this past week, bringing that total to 57 for the season.

Nationwide, COVID-19 and RSV test positivity decreased compared with the previous week, and a downward trend in virus activity levels in wastewater is being seen this week in all parts of the country. The highest regional levels are in the South, notes the CDC.

While elevated, emergency room visits for all the viruses have inched downward in many areas, and hospital bed occupancy for all patients, including within intensive care units, remains stable nationally.

Rohan S. Mankikar, MD, a clinical instructor of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and a pulmonologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, has been noticing a definite downward trend in the number of patients coming in for COVID, flu, and RSV.

From Christmas through New Year's, we started seeing a peak that lasted about two weeks after that, he says. But I definitely see a decline this week.

Despite some promising signs, many people are still dying of respiratory illnesses every week. Thepercentage of viral respiratory deaths for the week ending January 13 increased from 5.2 to 5.4 percent. The percentage of COVID-19 deaths climbed from 3.8 to 4.1 percent, although the portion of influenza deaths dipped slightly from 1.3 to 1.2 percent, and the rate of RSV deaths remained stable at 0.1 percent.

The National Center for Health Statistics found that at least 2,670 individuals in the United States died of pneumonia, influenza, or COVID-19 during the week ending January 20.

Dr. Mankikar notes that hes seen several cases of post-flu pneumonia. Patients have flu for about a week. The symptoms present, they get better, and then a week or two later, they start having a fever again and end up having bacterial pneumonia, he says. Although theyve recovered from flu, theyre still immunocompromised and a bacterial infection sets in.

Nationally, the total number of deaths due to COVID-19, influenza, or RSV is highest among those age 65 and older, according to theCDC. Infants and young children are also among those most vulnerable to severe illness. People with obesity, diabetes, asthma or chronic lung disease, sickle cell disease, or who are immunocompromised can also be at increased risk, as well as pregnant people and smokers.

A major factor that raises the likelihood of severe illness is being unvaccinated.

Im definitely seeing more severe symptoms in patients who are not vaccinated, says Mankikar.

He adds that those who have not been vaccinated may also have symptoms that linger on longer, especially when it comes to the flu.

Most patients who get the virus will recover in a week, says Mankikar. But there are a lot of patients even without underlying lung conditions who take a longer time to recover, especially if they're not vaccinated. In some cases, it can take four to six weeks.

National vaccination rates for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV, however, have been low. Mankikar stresses that its not too late to get vaccinated, and there are still many weeks of respiratory virus season ahead.

In addition to vaccination, Robert H. Hopkins Jr., MD, the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), offers these tips to stop the spread of respiratory viruses and avoid catching one yourself.

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COVID-19, Flu, and RSV Levels Are Decreasing From January Peak as Virus Spread Slows - Everyday Health

According to the Nueces County Health Department, the week before Christmas we had just over 800 reported flu cases.

Two weeks earlier, we had just under 500 cases in Nueces County. Now, cases have been in the 300s, but in the last week, they've begun to climb once again.

"The last few weeks I have certainly noticed at our center here at Amistad, spikes in the flu, and some you just come in and say looks like flu you know its flu. So there is definitely an increase in flu lately," Eric Baggerman, C.E.O. and pediatrician at Amistad Health said.

Baggerman said the reason for the recent spike can be due to many reasons.

"It is definitely a viral season and a lot of the reasons for that is because it is easier for the virus to live and replicate," Baggerman said. "It is also easier for us to share it because of our habits during the winter."

Baggerman said people should not be alarmed by this and try to focus on preventing the spread.

"The biggest thing we can do to help prevent the spread of these things, whether it is catching or giving it to others, is by washing our hands regularly," Baggerman said. "Avoid touching your face wash your hands, if you need to sneeze or cough make sure you do it on some cloth, that is why they say into your sleeves, not just on your bare arms."

The Corpus Christi Nueces County Public Health District will have two upcoming flu vaccine clinics for people to receive their shots at no cost.

The first one will happen on January 30th at the Janet F. Harte Public Library from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The second one will be on February 6th at the Doctor Clotilde P. Garcia Library from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Those without health insurance can receive their flu shots at no cost Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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Coastal Bend health experts seeing a slight increase in flu cases - KRIS 6 News Corpus Christi

The Wisconsin Department of Health reported this week the death of a fourth child from Respiratory Syncytial Virus.This latest RSV-related fatality comes as the state sees a decrease in overall virus activity, including the flu and COVID-19.State health officials continue to monitor the situation closely and advise the public to practice preventive measures such as good hygiene and staying clear of those who are sick.Parents are reminded to watch for RSV symptoms, which can be especially serious in young children.For more information on symptoms and prevention, visit the DHS website.

The Wisconsin Department of Health reported this week the death of a fourth child from Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

This latest RSV-related fatality comes as the state sees a decrease in overall virus activity, including the flu and COVID-19.

State health officials continue to monitor the situation closely and advise the public to practice preventive measures such as good hygiene and staying clear of those who are sick.

Parents are reminded to watch for RSV symptoms, which can be especially serious in young children.

For more information on symptoms and prevention, visit the DHS website.

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Fourth RSV-related death of a child confirmed by Wisconsin Department of Health - WISN Milwaukee

While just one new weeks worth of data does not indicate a clear trend, it is worth noting when that one week may signal a change. Especially if it is a hopeful one, as suggested in the downticks in all three major respiratory illnesses currently active in the state: COVID-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and influenza.

Two weeks ago, MPR News reported all three diseases were surging. Thankfully, that no longer appears to be the case in Minnesota.

In the Twin Cities seven-county metro, the number of new hospital admissions for COVID-19, flu and RSV are down by 12 percent, 33 percent and 28 percent, respectively, for the first week in January compared to the last week in December.

While rates for all three could go back up, flu and RSV are seasonal and may have hit their peaks. If that is the case, this years peaks were lower than last years.

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According to Minnesota Department of Health data, weekly flu hospitalizations this year could have peaked at 6.46 per 100,000 compared to a peak of 12.04 last year, and RSV hospitalizations possibly peaked at 5.15 per 100,000 Minnesotans this year compared to last years peak of 5.97 per 100,000.

For RSV, the more relevant year-to-year peak comparison is for those most susceptible, those ages 0 to 4. Among that group, just over 50 per 100,000 were hospitalized with RSV during this years peak (to date), compared to last years much earlier and larger peak of over 73 per 100,00 for that same age group.

It is even less certain that COVID-19 activity in Minnesota has reached any sort of peak, since COVID-19 is not particularly seasonal.

It is, however, hopeful to see the number of hospitalizations decline after more than two months of consistent increases in that metric.

The decline in hospital admissions is reflected in recent declines in COVID-19 levels measured in the states wastewater.

According to the University of Minnesotas on-going Wastewater Surveillance Study, the most recent statewide wastewater levels as of Jan. 17 are down by 22 percent compared to the week prior. And this follows a 15 percent weekly decline reported in the previous weeks data.

Only the studys North East region, which includes data from wastewater plants in Crow Wing, Koochiching, Pine and St. Louis counties, shows an increase in COVID-19 levels in this latest data. However, COVID-19 levels are down in every region, including the North East, over a longer four-week comparison.

Finally, one other COVID-19 metric is up but only slightly. The Minnesota Department of Healths latest monthly update on COVID-19 vaccination rates shows that 19.5 percent of Minnesotans have now taken advantage of the latest formulation of COVID-19 vaccine, which was approved in Sept. 2023. This is up by less than two percentage points from the vaccination rate reported in December.

A relatively small minority of Minnesotans in most age groups are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccination. A majority (56 percent) of those age 65 or older in the state are up to date.

Olmsted and Cook counties, home to Rochester and Grand Marias respectively, are tied for the states highest COVID-19 vaccination rate, each at 31 percent. On the other end of the spectrum, less than eight percent of the residents of Roseau County, in far northern Minnesota, are up to date on the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

According to national data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Minnesota has the nations third highest adult COVID-19 vaccination rate (35 percent), behind only Vermont (47 percent) and Washington, D.C. (42 percent).

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Hopeful downticks in Minnesotas COVID-19, RSV and flu data - MPR News

Experts at Maines largest healthcare organizations sayinfluenza and other respiratory illnesses are not as bad as the previous flu season, but numbers are still higher than usual.

We are still seeing a significant amount of respiratory illnesses, said Dr. James Jarvis, medical director of clinical education at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center.

During the 2022-2023 flu season, experts were alarmed at an usually high spike in cases and hospitalizations that took place in December 2022.

In the current flu season, which began in October 2023, data from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows case counts are nowhere near that peak. However, those numbers have been steadily increasing since December 2023.

Maine CDC's latest flu data, released on Tuesday and covering the week ending Jan. 20, shows a slight decline in hospitalization rates and outpatient flu-related health care provider visits compared to early January. In the week ending Jan. 20, Maine CDC recorded 29 flu-related hospitalizations.

Despite the decline, Dr. Dora Anne Mills, Chief Health Improvement Officer at MaineHealth, was not prepared to say flu has peaked in Maine.

Were not at that point yet, she said.

Jarvis also said its still a little bit early for us to tell in Maine whether flu is peaking.

There is evidence of a peak in flu season nationwide, he said, but Maine tends to lag the rest of the country regarding influenza, suggesting that the peak may be yet to come.

Mills also noted that its not unusual for Maine to have more than one peak for influenza in a single season.

Both experts noted that hospitalizations for the flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known as RSV, while high, have all declined in recent weeks. Jarvis said he thinks the latter disease might have peaked in Maine for the season.

It looks like the peak for RSV is over, and that tends to be the case we usually see in January, he said.

For COVID-19, Jarvis said cases at Eastern Maine Medical Center have dropped from 15-20 per day in early January to 10-15 per day now.

Mills also noted counts had dropped at MaineHealth facilities, but both she and Jarvis noted that COVID-19 does not have a season or peak the way influenza and RSV do.

COVID hospitalizations tend to correlate more with new variants than with cold weather, so we could have future peaks anytime there is a new variant, she said. The bottom line is to stay updated on COVID vaccines, since the updated vaccines, just like with influenza vaccines, reflect circulating virus strains.

With flu season expected to last until the end of May, Jarvis said, its still a good idea to get an annual flu vaccine, for those who havent done so yet. Updating COVID-19 vaccinations are also a good idea and, for those who are eligible or need it, RSV.

Jarvis also offered the time-honored advice of frequently washing hands, staying home for those who dont feel well, getting tested for COVID-19 if they have respiratory symptoms, staying hydrated and warm, and wearing a mask in public, especially for those who may be particularly vulnerable to respiratory diseases.

Mills said that advice is even more important for those who may be visiting a relative in a long-term care facility.

Hospitals across Maine and much of the country have had ongoing capacity issues, for a variety of reasons, but a major reason is that long term care facilities are not able to take patients needing to be transferred from hospitals because they have staff out sick or residents sick with COVID or influenza, she said.

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Maine influenza, COVID-19, RSV cases high, but dropping - Spectrum News

During this time of year in the northern hemisphere, influenza and COVID-19 are in full effect. As the season is hitting or near its peak, the general public will once again need to be aware of the viruses and will want to find strategies to avoid them.

Anecdotally, people are saying the current COVID-19 variant is not as significant or severe as previous strains. However, there is great variability in what the experience of being sick is depending on peoples ages, existing comorbidities, and overall health profile. So, COVID-19 can look different to different people. Whereas, a young person who is in good health may see symptoms that mirror a cold; but a middle-aged person or a senior might see more severe symptoms that feel like influenza.

Still, this does not downplay the need for preventative care for everyone, especially in the form of vaccines, explained Robert H. Hopkins Jr, MD, medical director, NFID; professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

For those who still haven't gotten their COVID-19 [vaccine], their influenza vaccine, and those eligible to get RSV vaccination, please do that. It is not too late, Hopkins said. It does take a little time for you to develop vaccine protection. But, I would encourage people to get that done because we don't have a good way of predicting, even if you've had COVID-19 or flu earlier in the season, that you're not going to get it again.

Additionally, Hopkins discusses hygiene and risk mitigation as nonspecific interventions for prevention. These are things we may be aware of in some capacity but serve as good reminders.

Washing your hands is important. Second, if you're going to be out in in crowded situations, I would encourage people to wear a mask...a mask is not perfect, but if you're wearing a mask over your nose and mouth, you're reducing the number of particulates, stated Hopkins.

He also reminds people to cough and sneeze into the sleeves of their shirts as opposed to their hands. This can prevent transmission of germs. And lastly, Hopkins talks about going out into crowds.

If you have an opportunity to get out in a crowded setting, think a little bit about what your risk tolerance is for that setting. If you're somebody that's immune compromised, if you have significant health conditions, maybe this is not the time to be going to a concert, or to a basketball game, or to a crowded event where we may be more likely to catch one of these illnesses.

For those who might be vaccine averse, and do not like the idea of getting 2 vaccines at the start of every seasonal virus year, there are influenza/COVID-19 combination vaccines in development. Moderna has previously stated it was targeting a potential regulatory approval for their combination vaccine in 2025.

Contagion spoke to Hopkins who offered some insights on this years COVID and influenza seasons, combination vaccines, and isolation considerations for those who have the flu or COVID-19.

Originally posted here:

'Tis the Season: Making Sense of Influenza and COVID-19 This Year - Contagionlive.com

Published 11:46 am Friday, January 26, 2024

On Thursday, all six hospital groups in Hampton Roads issued a joint masking recommendation based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing a sharp rise in cases of flu, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other respiratory illnesses throughout the area.

In the joint statement released by Bon Secours, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, Childrens Hospital of the Kings and Daughters, EVMS Medical Group, Riverside, and Sentara, they strongly recommend all patients and visitors, including those seeking outpatient services, wear masks inside hospitals, medical facilities, and physician practices.

All patients and visitors, even those who have already received their annual flu shot and are up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, are strongly encouraged to wear masks inside healthcare facilities.

The joint statement also said masking provides an added layer of protection from respiratory illnesses, even for those vaccinated.

Additional measures to limit the spread of disease, especially the flu, include washing hands frequently, staying home when sick, getting vaccinated, and coughing into sleeves or tissues.

As healthcare providers, our collective goal is to protect the community from sickness and disease, the joint release said. Data suggests an infected person can spread a respiratory virus 24 hours before showing signs or symptoms. This community-wide recommendation helps protect our patients, visitors, and staff from exposure to flu, COVID-19, and RSV, even before symptoms are noticeable.

The groups also ask individuals experiencing respiratory illness-like symptoms to stay home and avoid visiting patients at area hospitals. Symptoms of respiratory illness include cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, chills, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.

The recommendation to wear a mask when entering healthcare facilities will remain in effect for as long as reports of the flu, COVID-19, and RSV remain elevated.

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Hampton Roads hospitals urge masking, citing rise in flu, COVID-19 and RSV cases - Smithfield Times - Smithfield Times

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or onbangordailynews.com.

Sheldon H. Jacobson is a professor of computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a data scientist. He wrote this column for the Chicago Tribune.

With the new year, three upper respiratory viruses have begun to spread among Americans. COVID-19, seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, have all been infecting people and making them sick.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been doing what it does well, which is the tracking of these viruses. So where does the nation stand right now, and should you be concerned?

Tracking these infections is challenging unless a person visits a hospitals emergency room for a severe case.

Regarding COVID-19, the CDC COVID-19 Data Tracker provides weekly updates of test positivity, emergency department visits and severity indicators, i.e., hospitalizations and deaths. Measures like these provide a way to make sense of the public health risk across the population.

Using hospitalizations based on new hospital admissions per 100,000 people across the 3,220 counties in the nation, the number of counties with a rate of 20 or more new admissions per 100,000 reached 306 in the week ending Dec. 30, or just under 10 percent of all counties. This number has been steadily increasing from the summer. However, it had dropped to 146 for the week ending Jan. 13.

Yet looking back to the 2022-23 winter season, the nation reached its peak just after the new year, when 640 counties had a rate of at least 20 or more new admissions per 100,000. What is clear this season is that the trend is continuing, and if the trend is replicated, the peak population risk period may have already been reached.

The Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network, or FluSurv-NET, provides weekly updates on hospital admissions for seasonal influenza. The numbers are just beginning to rise this season, with the overall rate running around 8 per 100,000 for the week ending Dec. 30, with a dip occurring in the first week of 2024. Not surprisingly, the age groups most affected are the young and the elderly.

The Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network, or RSV-NET, provides weekly updates on hospital admissions for RSV. These rates are significantly lower than the rates for COVID-19 and influenza, except for the rate for those younger than 4, which is more than 10 times higher than any other age group.

So what can people do to protect themselves and their loved ones?

Though COVID-19 is clearly the most dangerous of the three, the good news is that the variants that are circulating now appear to be producing fewer severe outcomes than last year, based on hospitalization data. We will know sometime in February whether this trend holds.

Still, the youngest and oldest among us, as well as those with certain health conditions, remain vulnerable to poor outcomes. That fact has been true since March 2020. Moreover, all the new variants are linked to the omicron variant, which means that the current vaccine is likely to provide some protection.

Influenza has been tracked for decades; this season so far resembles prior years. Not enough time has passed to determine whether this flu season will be as severe as the 2017-2018 season.

RSV continues to affect the very young most severely.

Should people shelter in place during this period? No. At the same time, they should take reasonable cautions to protect the most vulnerable. Parents with children younger than 4 should be mindful to keep their children as safe as possible from RSV. If a child shows upper respiratory symptoms, keep them at home and follow CDC recommended treatment plans.

Those who have elderly parents can follow the same advice with respect to influenza.

COVID-19 has a wider footprint of impact across the population. Following safeguards and using good judgment will reduce peoples risk.

Though some have described this respiratory season as a tripledemic, the variability inherent in these three respiratory viruses means that there are no one-size-fits-all guidelines. Each of us must consider the risks we face, as well as our loved ones, recognizing the different symptoms of each and potential impact on our lives.

The CDC data certainly informs our choices. What continues to be needed is straightforward, commonsense advice on how to use them.

So should you be concerned? It is never beneficial to get sick. Avoiding infection, no matter which one, continues to be sound advice.

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Reasonable precautions tamp down COVID-19, RSV and flu cases - Bangor Daily News

As I step among poop-covered rocks toward the plateau of a small island in the Galpagos, a part of me rejoices. Not only am I about to see the archipelagos famed blue-footed boobies for the first time, but the sight of guano everywhere, and birds to make fresh batches, serves as a reminder: The ongoing avian influenza outbreak has not yet ravaged this picturesque place.

Ghostly, leafless Palo Santo trees and saltbushes sprinkle the island, surrounded by boulders in varying shades of red-tinged black and brown. White splotches of guano splattered on rocks are hard to miss against this arid landscape on North Seymour Island in November, the tail end of the dry season. The poops sources are similarly difficult to overlook.

The island is known for hosting a large colony of magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens), some of which hang suspended in the air above tourists heads as we disembark from a dinghy and scramble up the rocky path. As I admire the birds fabulous red throat sacs which males inflate like balloons to attract females I hope that none deposit excrement on my head.

A short walk along a dusty trail brings us to, in my opinion, the stars of the show, blue-footed boobies (Sula nebouxii). The dopey looking birds show no sign of fear even as we cluster around their nests eagerly snapping photos.

That I had the chance to visit these birds on North Seymour at all amid all their poop was a relief after traveling more than 5,000 kilometers for a vacation in Galpagos National Park. Just two months before, at the end of September, news broke that deadly avian influenza had reached the archipelago.

The virus presence posed a grave threat. The islands are home to birds like the Galpagos penguin that are found nowhere else in the world. National park and government officials closed some islands to tourists to protect endemic seabirds an understandable tactic that left me selfishly thinking about the possibility of not getting to see iconic birds up close. To track the virus, we have eyes watching the whole archipelago, wildlife veterinarian Gustavo Jimnez-Uzctegui of the Charles Darwin Foundation told Science in September.

The concern is warranted. Outside the Galpagos, the global bird flu panzootic has been destructive. (Panzootics are the animal equivalent of human pandemics.) Its unclear why the archipelago has so far escaped the worst of avian influenza, Jimnez-Uzctegui told me when we met in the island town of Puerto Ayora. Also unknown are the effects the outbreak could permanently imprint on bird populations and the ecosystems that theyre a part of around the globe.

Most people have no idea that we are in the middle of a wildlife emergency, an animal pandemic, and that this may be the nail in the coffin for some species, says Michelle Wille a viral ecologist at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, Australia, who studies avian influenza. Its very concerning.

While the viral variant behind the outbreak emerged in Europe in 2020, the outbreak itself didnt take off until late 2021. Since then, avian flu has likely killed millions of wild birds (SN: 3/6/23). In Peru, hundreds of thousands of wild birds have died. Places like Russia and Canada have documented tens of thousands of deaths. In the United States, roughly 9,000 wild birds have tested positive for avian flu, some of which were reported after being killed by hunters.

In October, bird flu arrived in the Antarctic region for the first time when unexplained mortality of brown skuas on Bird Island was pinned on the virus.

But birds arent the only animals in the flus crosshairs. If you can imagine thousands of dead birds, you can imagine how this is an all day buffet for scavengers, Wille says. Avian predators all over the world, including bears and foxes, have tested positive. Marine mammals such as seals and sea lions that swim with or eat infected birds have experienced mass die-offs. In the Arctic, a polar bear died in October after contracting the virus. And on January 11, researchers confirmed that elephant and fur seals in South Georgia, a sub-Antarctic island, had been infected.

By the time of my trip in mid-November, fears of birds dying en masse in the Galpagos hadnt yet come to fruition. To date, there have been just 34 confirmed flu infections in red- and blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, frigatebirds and tropicbirds.

That the global outbreak is happening at all is a chapter in a predictable story, says Nichola Hill, a disease ecologist at the University of Massachusetts Boston. And the viruss incursion into some mammals is absolutely on track with being the worst-case scenario you could have imagined for this.

Researchers have long understood that avian influenza viruses which normally cause mild disease in waterfowl like ducks can turn deadly after spreading and evolving on poultry farms (SN: 9/2/05). Close relatives of the virus responsible for the ongoing panzootic have been simmering away in Eurasia for more than a decade, Hill says. And now in the last three years, its had major consequences for wildlife.

For now, researchers are focused on documenting the sheer scale of avian and mammalian deaths. We will probably not know the true extent of this for years to come, Wille says. The ripple effects on ecosystems will likewise take years to unravel.

Death rates vary among bird species. Waterfowl such as ducks are key spreaders of bird flu and have at least some built-in protection from the virus. Because their immune systems have coevolved with influenza viruses, the animals have a head-start on immunity compared to other animals, Hill says. Meanwhile, birds like bald eagles and red-tailed hawks that dont have such a long history with influenza are just getting hit really hard.

That disparity has Hill wondering how long it might take for infections to become less deadly, as wild birds develop immunity against the virus. Her lab aims to explore how birds immune systems have coevolved with avian flu, including which parts of the immune response are crucial for preventing the virus from running rampant and causing death in some species.

As of now, Wille says, there are no signs that the panzootic is slowing down. But there are glimmers of hope.

In October, researchers announced some early results from a bird flu vaccine trial in California condors. After 10 birds had received two doses of the vaccine, six of them had antibody levels high enough to provide at least partial protection against death. If it works, it demonstrates that we may be able to limit the impact on highly endangered species, Wille says.

Why avian flu has been less aggressive in the Galpagos compared with most everywhere else and whether it will stay that way remains a big question, Jimnez-Uzctegui says. But he has one intriguing hypothesis.

The unique difference from the other parts [of South America], like Peru, Ecuador, he says, is the habitat.

Flu in both people and birds tends to largely be a cold-season disease (SN: 1/11/23). Last year, El Nio arrived in the Galpagos, bringing warmer than average waters to the islands part of the Pacific Ocean. Normally, the climate pattern reduces the marine food supply, affecting many of the animals that swim in the waters around the islands. The more moderate temperatures may have also made it harder for avian flu to spread, Jimnez-Uzctegui says.

Piecing together the relationship between the local climate and influenza infections could help determine if Jimnez-Uzcteguis hunch is correct. He and his team also hope to examine the immune systems and genetics of birds that call the archipelago home. For now, though, researchers and officials continue to keep an eye out for influenza on the islands.

On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, its easy to center humans in worries about infectious diseases, especially because influenza outbreaks can be devastating (SN: 10/27/21). But my visit to Galpagos National Park a truly special place for nature lovers underscored that wild birds around the globe are enduring the worst flu outbreak yet. And despite small signs of hope in these iconic islands, the viruss impacts could reverberate for years to come.

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A bird flu outbreak is sweeping the globe. Its long-term effects are unclear - Science News Magazine

Influenza, COVID-19 and RSV infections have gained traction this month, nationally, statewide and in Santa Barbara County, according to county Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg.

It is not too late to get the updated COVID and flu shots (for six months and older)," said Ansorg. "RSV vaccine is available for persons 60 and over as well as for infants 18 months and younger as well as for pregnant women during last trimester.

The COVID JN.1 variant was first detected in the U.S. in September, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is now the most common variant.

Dr. Charles R. Merrill, chief medical officer for Marian Regional Medical Center, said as the population adjusts to an existing variant, the virus mutates and becomes a little different. When a virus mutates, it infects an individual more easily but is less deadly.

If you are a virus and you want to survive then you want to be able to infect more people. If you kill your host, then you die too. So from a biologic standpoint it wants to be more infectious and less dangerous, Merrill said.

Government data posted between Christmas and New Year's showed 38 states with high or very high levels for respiratory illnesses with fever, cough and other symptoms, up from 31 states the week before.

The numbers include people with COVID-19, RSV and other winter viruses, in addition to flu, but flu seems to be increasing most dramatically, according to the CDC.

We expect it (numbers) to be elevated for several more weeks, said CDC's Alicia Budd. So far, though, she said, this is a moderate flu season.

Interpreting flu reports during and after the holidays can be tricky, Budd said. Schools are closed. More people are traveling. Some people may be less likely to see a doctor and others may be more likely.

As with previous winters, the hospital is observing a rise in cases of the viruses in January, said Merrill, but the cases aren't as severe as they were during the pandemic.

We do know that we have fewer than we had last year, much fewer than when the pandemic was going and I can tell you, the virus itself is not as severe, meaning the patients don't do as poorly, said Merrill, who specializes in emergency medicine. "So typically they come in and have a cough or cold, maybe some respiratory difficulties, but we're not seeing people coming in and dying from it like we did during the pandemic.

The flu season generally peaks between December and February, and CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said she expects it to peak by the end of January this year.

Officials said this season's flu shots are well-matched to the strain that is the most active this year.

CDC data indicates coronavirus-caused hospitalizations haven't hit the same levels they did at the same point during the last three winters. However, COVID-19 is putting more people in the hospital than flu, CDC data shows.

Lauren Ancel Meyers of the University of Texas, said the nation is seeing a second rise in COVID-19 after a smaller peak in September.

"There is a lot of uncertainty about when and how high this current surge will peak, said Meyers, who runs a team that forecasts COVID-19, flu and RSV trends.

Merrill said Marian Regional Medical Center is seeing suprisingly few people getting vaccinated for COVID-19, but said the vaccine is still recommended.

If you've been sick with COVID in the last couple of months we don't recommend it because your own antibodies will build up and youll have protection that way, but a lot of people are not getting vaccinated, said Merrill. Same is true for influenza. It has a very effective vaccine and so we would like to increase vaccination rates. There is no reason to be afraid of vaccines.

Ansorg said wearing a well-fitted mask in public indoor settings especially persons with chronic health conditions, over age 60 and with weakened immune systems is recommended.

If you are sick, stay home, Ansorg said.

The symptoms forrhinovirus and adenovirus, commonly seen during winter, COVID-19 and RSV are similar, including cough, runny nose, fever, chills and body aches.

"It's very difficult to distinguish among them clinically by those symptoms because they are all similar, said Merrill. COVID-19 has a treatment specific to it as well as influenza A, but there is no specific treatment for RSVP.

If someone is diagnosed with RSV, Merrill said "we give them oxygen if they need it. We treat some of the lung symptoms with bronchodilator, like you would treat an asthmatic person. We isolate them from other people so they don't spread it.

Merrill said that in his opinion, the number of COVID cases is under-represented because some people get a cold and a cough, but don't test themselves.

That could've been COVID, but you will never know and so that doesn't go down as a COVID case, he said.

In addition to vaccinations, use common sense to avoid getting sick, Merrill said.

Like if you get on an airplane without a mask with a whole lot of people in a closed space, you are more likely to get a virus infection, he said.

If you are in a room with poor ventilation, and a lot of people are in there and people are coughing and sneezing and you're not wearing a mask that increases your risk, said Merrill. So being away from people is prophylactic and preventive, hand washing is very helpful, and wearing a mask when youre in high risk or situations are the best ways to avoid it.

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Vaccinations, common sense urged to combat winter flu, respiratory illnesses - Santa Ynez Valley News