Doctors have warned Americans that they could soon face a “quad-demic” of viral diseases this winter.
Experts say a combination of Covid, flu, the common cold virus RSV and the stomach virus norovirus could all strike at the same time.
A mix of people staying indoors more to beat the cold and a mix of people during the Christmas and New Year period means that infections are becoming more common.
And because fewer people have received the Covid and flu boosters this year, they fear more people will be hospitalized, putting extra pressure on the healthcare system.
Dr. Joe Bresee, an infectious disease expert who worked at the CDC for 20 years, including the flu division, said, “We know these viruses are coming, we see them increasing every year.
“We are in for an increase in circulation in these four in the coming months, and that would lead to what we call epidemics (outbreaks).”
Doctors warn because vaccination rates are lower than in previous years, especially for flu. The vaccination rate is almost half of the 70 percent protection level for people over 18 years of age.
Doctors warn the US is in for a ‘quad-demic’ this year. The above is a stock photo of an NHS hospital in England
FLU OUTBREAK: The above shows flu illnesses in each state. Only two, Louisiana and Georgia, are currently experiencing high levels of the disease
COVID: Experts say cases of this disease are not increasing yet, although they expect it to increase over the holiday season and into January
Dr. Bresee, who is also a member of the nonprofit Task Force for Global Health, added: “We are seeing an increase in three of the major infectious diseases.
‘Right now the RSV is increasing, but it has not yet reached a peak. Flu is on the rise, but still low. We expect this to peak around January to March, and norovirus is on the rise, with infections expected to peak around January.
‘Covid is now also starting to increase, but is at quite a low level; every year it also increases around January.’
He added: ‘These will rise as people get back on planes and travel this holiday season. Every plane at the moment certainly has people with viruses on board.
‘And we often see large peaks just after the winter holidays, because people have traveled, become infected and then returned to school.’
The latest surveillance shows that 3.9 percent of Covid tests detected the virus in the week to November 6, the latest data available, with preliminary data for the week to December 7 suggesting this has now risen to 5, 4 percent.
The number of hospital admissions for flu-like illnesses is also rising, up from 14 percent to 3.3 percent of patient admissions in the week to December 7, compared to 2.9 percent two weeks earlier.
RSV surveillance showed that 1.2 per 100,000 people were admitted to hospital with the disease in the week to November 30, more than double the level of 0.5 at the start of the month.
HOSPITALIZED WITH FLU: The above shows hospital admissions for people with a flu-like illness per year
And for norovirus, surveillance suggested that 40 outbreaks were reported in the week to October 24, the latest outbreak available, a rise ahead of and above the levels seen in every year since 2012.
Dr. Bresee and Dr. Bill Schaffner, an infectious disease expert in Tennessee, urged people are receiving the new flu and Covid vaccines this year to boost their bodies’ immune responses to the diseases.
Only 38.6 percent of adults over the age of 18 had received the flu vaccine in the week to November 30, down from the almost 40 percent who received it this time last year.
Uptake of Covid boosters has also lagged, with just 17.9 per cent of adults having received the jab in the week before November 9 – 4.7 per cent below last year’s levels.
Adults over 75 were also urged to get the RSV vaccine, which is up to 98 percent effective at preventing serious illness from the virus.
But data shows only 43.1 per cent of adults in this age group have received the single shot.
Dr. Schaffner also urged those who were older or had underlying immune system problems to start wearing face masks, saying they added an “extra layer of protection” against the diseases.
There is some debate over whether face masks work, with a major Cochrane Institute study previously finding that they did not prevent disease.
Hospital systems in California and New York City renewed calls for face masks to be worn in early November, quickly sparking an outcry.
This week, New York City again advised residents to wear face masks, while California’s Sonoma County — which includes Santa Rosa — asked health care workers to start wearing the coverings again in mid-November.
Flu, Covid and RSV are mainly spread through droplets released into the air when someone coughs or sneezes, and are a seasonal threat.
Norovirus is spread through contact with surfaces, such as toilet handles, that have also been touched by an infected person.
All viruses rise in winter because colder temperatures force people to spend more time indoors, leading to more people breathing the same air or touching the same surfaces.
RSV: The above shows the RSV hospitalization rate in the US by week
NOROVIRUS: Above shows number of norovirus outbreaks in 2024 compared to every year since 2012
Flu, Covid and RSV can cause complaints such as fever, coughing, shortness of breath, sore throat or fatigue.
The main symptoms of norovirus are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps or pain.
Estimates currently suggest that 12,000 to 52,000 Americans die from the flu each year, while Covid has been responsible for 44,000 deaths so far this year.
About 900 people die each year from norovirus, and 6,000 to 10,000 from RSV.
In the US, only two states – Louisiana and Georgia – are currently recording ‘high’ levels of flu-like illness.
Eight states – Alabama, Arizona, California, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee and Texas – are recording moderate levels.
Dr. Schaffner told DailyMail.com that the wave appeared to come a little later than in recent years, which was more in line with a ‘traditional’ flu season.
He added that in the years after the big wave of Covid-19, infectious disease epidemics tended to arrive earlier.
Dr. Barry Hahn, an emergency room doctor at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City, said he was “surprised” this year that he had not seen an increase in infections compared to previous years.
Anecdotally, he said he was currently seeing a surge of RSV infections in his department.