What virus is circulating? Which diseases are circulating the most – NBC Chicago

It seems like a lot of Americans are off to a bad start to the new year.

According to the latest government health data, 40 states reported high or very high levels of illness last week. Illinois and several other Midwestern states are in the “high” category.

But which viruses are hitting people hardest right now?

“There’s a lot of flu out there,” said Carrie Reed of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The most recent data on hospitalizations from the CDC and other indicators show that the flu virus is trending higher than other germs, Reed said. Multiple strains of seasonal flu are causing cases, with no dominant strain, she added.

Pediatric hospitals have been busy since November with RSV, but “the flu has now joined the party,” said Dr. Jason Newland, an infectious disease specialist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

Of course, there are a number of bugs that cause fever, cough, sore throat and other flu-like symptoms. One of them is COVID-19. Another case is RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which is a common cause of cold-like symptoms but can be dangerous for infants and the elderly.

“Now we’re really starting to roll,” he added. “Our hospitals are busy.”

Add to that that norovirus is spreading rapidly in parts of the United States, including the Chicago area, and hospitals are stressed, some experts say.

“Usually we see this large admission rate really increase a week after all the holidays. So usually we see it in January, but right now I’m going to tell you all, you know, emergency rooms, urgent care are really nice, breaking at the seams,” Dr. Whitney Lyn, chief family physician at Provident Hospital’s Sengstacke Health Center, told NBC Chicago on Monday.

Lyn described the admission rate as “alarming”.

Here’s what you need to know about the diseases currently circulating:

Other symptoms of viruses currently spreading

COVID

For now, the symptoms of COVID remain the same:

• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Impaired sense of smell
• Congestion
• Fever or chills
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

Previous reports had focused on potential gastrointestinal symptoms linked to the virus.

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, a CDC scientific consultant and epidemiologist, said that “gastrointestinal problems, including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea,” have already been identified as possible symptoms of COVID-19.

“We do not have specific data on the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms with current strains of the virus, but COVID-19 symptoms can certainly differ depending on the variant and the individual,” Jetelina told NBC Chicago in July.

Last fall, a Chicago-area doctor said she noticed changes in the most common symptoms her patients reported as the JN.1 variant became dominant.

Dr. Chantel Tinfang, a family physician at Cook County’s Provident Hospital Sengstacke Health Center, noted at the time that many of the cases she saw reported fewer fevers, body aches and chills, and had more sore throats and fatigue. and cough.

“We still see some patients with loss of appetite, loss of taste or smell. So it depends,” she said. “One patient was just very, very tired. Like she couldn’t really do much. And that’s when you know… it’s different. It’s not just about cough and shortness of breath We still see it.

VRS

People infected with RSV typically experience symptoms within 4 to 6 days of their infection, according to the CDC. The most common symptoms are:

• Runny nose
• Congestion
• Decreased appetite
• Cough
• Sneezing
• Fever

Symptoms usually appear in stages and not all at once. Signs may be apparent in adults, but less noticeable in young infants.

Although RSV usually causes a mild cold-like illness, it can also lead to serious illnesses such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia.

Other symptoms of severe cases include the following, according to the Mayo Clinic.

• Wheezing – a high-pitched noise that is usually heard when exhaling (exhaling)
• Rapid breathing or difficulty breathing: the person may prefer to sit rather than lie down
• Bluish color of the skin due to lack of oxygen

Flu

The flu can cause mild to severe illness and potentially lead to death, according to the CDC.

“Flu symptoms usually appear suddenly,” notes the CDC.

Some of the most common symptoms include:

• fever or feeling feverish/chills
• cough
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• muscle or body pain
• headache
• tiredness (tiredness)
• some people may experience vomiting and diarrhea, although this is more common in children than adults.

Norovirus

Besides vomiting and diarrhea, the most common symptoms include nausea, stomach pain, body aches, headache, and fever.

But another thing to watch out for if you think you have norovirus is dehydration.

“If you have norovirus illness, you may feel extremely sick and vomit or have diarrhea several times a day. This can lead to dehydration (loss of body fluids), especially in young children, older people and people with other illnesses.” noted the CDC.

Symptoms of dehydration include:

• Decreased urination
• Dry mouth and throat
• Feeling dizzy when getting up
• Crying with few or no tears
• Drowsiness or unusual restlessness

Other viruses

Cases of strep throat and whooping cough have also been reported.

Investigators also closely monitored another type of flu virus, the H5N1 type A version of avian flu. The CDC says 66 such human cases were reported in the United States last year, but none in the past week.

Cases are “fairly sporadic” and the overall risk to the public remains low, Reed said. Almost all have been traced to direct contact with infected animals, with no evidence of spread between humans.