COVID, flu and RSV are the massive respiratory diseases, however U.S. researchers have a clearer image of different circulating viruses with wastewater surveillance. (Story aired on ATC on Oct. 20, 2023.)
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Because the climate cools down, because it has right here in Washington, individuals head indoors and begin spreading viruses extra effectively. NPR’s Pien Huang studies on the viral stew.
PIEN HUANG, BYLINE: There’s the massive three, to begin – flu, RSV and COVID. These are those well being officers, just like the CDC’s Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, are speaking about essentially the most.
DEMETRE DASKALAKIS: These are the three that basically trigger essentially the most kind of utilization of the well being care system and essentially the most extreme illness.
HUANG: Final 12 months, a survey by the well being coverage nonprofit KFF confirmed that 40% of households have been hit with at the least one in all these three viruses. However Marlene Wolfe, an epidemiologist at Emory College, says there’s extra within the respiratory viral stew.
MARLENE WOLFE: There’s all the time one thing else within the combine.
HUANG: Issues like rhinoviruses and non-COVID coronaviruses, each causes of the widespread chilly. There are parainfluenzas, which may trigger croup and pneumonia in kids, and an enterovirus, which brought on a nationwide outbreak 10 years in the past. After which there’s human metapneumovirus.
WOLFE: That is a reasonably new virus, really, that was recognized within the early 2000s – seems fairly just like RSV a variety of the time in medical presentation.
HUANG: Wolfe says information from wastewater reveals that human metapneumovirus really circulated loads final winter. It may’ve been the fourth virus added to the tripledemic combine.
A variety of these viruses have the identical cold- and flu-like signs – coughing, sneezing, fevers, chills.
WOLFE: Most people who find themselves contaminated with all of those viruses will get better and be fully wonderful. But it surely’s essential for us to know what’s circulating in order that we will know how one can use the interventions which can be accessible to us.
HUANG: Wolfe leads WastewaterSCAN, a program that gives a granular, real-time take a look at pathogens.
It is nonetheless early within the season. Thus far, information reveals there are mid ranges of COVID going round and low ranges of all the things else. To Dr. Daskalakis from CDC, meaning it is a good time to get protected.
DASKALAKIS: We’ve got a brand new up to date COVID vaccine. We’ve got up to date flu vaccines.
HUANG: For older individuals and pregnant individuals, there are vaccines for RSV and preventive photographs for newborns. The CDC expects this virus season to be just like the final – higher than the peak of the pandemic, however worse than the years earlier than it.
Pien Huang, NPR Information.
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