Experts in the United States and Europe are exploring the prospect of reinstating face masks as the world experiences a “tripledemic” of COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
During a time when many people have been waiting eagerly to reunite with loved ones for the first time since the pandemic, the rate of influenza in Florida has more than tripled in less than two months.
What Is ‘Tripledemic’?
The weekly report from the Florida Department of Health indicates that the state’s flu positivity rate has tripled since October, from a low of around 50,000 to a high of around 170,000.
Those in the medical field are now facing a three-headed monster, prompting them to issue a Triplemedic alert, and these numbers are part of that warning.
Experts have warned that the coronavirus is still present, and hospitals have observed a rise in the number of youngsters infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
However, they claim that the incoming COVID-19 data is flawed, mainly because of sloppy testing and a decline in the number of doctors’ offices reporting positive cases.
Anyone can acquire the flu, but the people most likely to be affected are the elderly and children under the age of five, with the latter group suffering more severely from this strain.
Myers stated that children are the primary transmitters of the influenza virus, which is why the health department makes it a priority to visit schools and provide free influenza vaccinations.
Moreover, he said, children, not COVID-19, are the super-spreaders of the flu. They continue to release the virus at higher levels for longer than adults do.
Read more: Covid-19 is man-made that escaped from laboratory, scientist who worked at Wuhan reveals
How To Prevent Spreading The Virus?
Similar to 2021, the H3H2 strain is the most common, but this year, patients with the virus are sicker, leading to an increase in the number of ER visits.
According to the CDC, the strain was originally identified in 2010 as having originated in birds and pigs. The virus’s H1N1 (swine flu) gene is identical to that which caused the 2009 pandemic. In July 2011, the variation was finally found in human populations.
Meanwhile, a simple vaccine and therapies, including antivirals known to lessen the symptoms of the virus, are said to be able to prevent much of the suffering. When no medical reason exists to avoid it, the annual flu vaccine is recommended for everyone over the age of six months by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read more: New bivalent COVID-19 Vaccines Have Been Approved By The FDA For Infants As Young As Six Months
