After the Christmas and New Year celebrations, American citizens are now facing a health crisis. The United States has seen a dangerous rise in respiratory illnesses and stomach infections. Experts are calling this situation a “quad-demic,” referring to the surge in flu (respiratory syncytial virus or RSV) and norovirus (commonly known as stomach flu) cases since Christmas.
Current data shows that norovirus cases have reached their highest level since 2012, and there has been nearly a 40% increase in RSV-related hospitalizations over the past two weeks. Estimates suggest that 3.1 million Americans have already been affected by the flu, with 37,000 hospitalized and 1,500 deaths recorded.
COVID-19 cases are also rising once again in the U.S. Between October and December, an estimated 2.5 to 4.4 million infections occurred, leading to thousands of hospitalizations and dozens of deaths. Experts warn that these numbers are likely to increase in the coming weeks, especially as more people catch colds.
Dr. Joe Bracy, an expert, stated, “We are likely to see a surge in infections over the next few weeks.” Flu, RSV, and COVID all spread similarly through respiratory droplets when a person coughs, sneezes, or talks, but norovirus spreads differently, through contamination or polluted air.
