What’s behind the early surge in RSV and flu — and what’s to come

Why everybody you know is sick right now What’s behind the early surge in RSV and flu — and what’s to come. Dylan Scott Vox

Cold and flu season is off to a particularly nasty start across the United States.

With the country stepping down from the pandemic footing of the past few years, the various viruses that cause coughs, runny noses, and sore throats are now on the rebound. Cases of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common respiratory bug that can occasionally turn serious for infants and older adults, had been held down in 2020 and 2021 because people were wearing masks and taking other precautions to avoid Covid-19. But almost all official pandemic policies have lapsed, most Americans have returned to some or all of their pre-pandemic activities, and immunity to other common viruses may have waned after two years of largely avoiding them.

That has brought RSV in particular roaring back; the flu is showing signs of an early surge as well. ...

Flu is also off to a fast start, particularly in the South. The percentage of outpatient visits that are for respiratory illness, one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s measures of flu activity, is already well above where it was at this time in the past five years. Doctors on the ground also say that they are seeing meaningfully more cases of RSV, flu, and other similar pathogens (such as adenoviruses, parainfluenza, croup, etc.) than they typically would this early in the cold-weather season.

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