The U.S. flu season this 2023 is about to begin. In the past two years, health experts said that Americans only experienced light flu seasons.
The question is, will this be the same this 2023? Here are the things you need to know.
US Flu Season 2023
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that flu seasons commonly start in October. Activities of respiratory viruses peak between December and February.
There are some instances when flu seasons last until May. But, ever since the global COVID-19 pandemic began, researchers have been having a hard time determining flu activities.
Luckily, CNN reported that new tools in the form of antibodies and vaccines are already available to protect people from the flu season.
Because of this, health experts predicted that the illnesses, such as flu and RSV, will settle back into their seasonal patterns this 2023.
Although a COVID-19 winter surge is expected to happen, researchers said that cases will not be as many as those in the past years.
But, this will still depend if the COVID-19 virus will have a more deadly and infectious variant.
Top 3 Respiratory Viruses You Should Look Out For
Dr. Buddy Creech, a Vanderbilt University pediatric infectious disease specialist, said that the 2023 flu season will see three respiratory viruses.
These are COVID-19, RSV, and flu. He said that this is the first time in human history that vaccines for the three respiratory viruses are available.
However, the health specialist clarified that a vaccine "shot is only as good if it gets into your shoulder." This means that these vaccines will only work if people actually use them.
COVID-19
COVID-19 cases this 2023 are expected to be low since people now prefer to seek indoor refuge from the record-breaking heat.
RSV
RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is not really something adults should worry about since this virus is commonly a mild infection. However, parents should be worried about their newborns since RSV can greatly affect babies by filling their lungs with mucus. RSV cases are expected to appear in October and peak in late December.
Flu
Dr. William Schaffner, another infectious disease expert from Vanderbilt University, said that flu infections are expected to rise around November and could peak after December.
