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Feeling the flu: Doctors see simultaneous uptick in flu and RSV cases

By Gigi Barnett

Local emergency rooms are seeing a rise in flu and respiratory syncytial virus cases at the same time, an uncommon trend.

Respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, tends to peak when the flu season starts to trend down.

That’s not the case this year — the viruses are peaking simultaneously.

Jon Gonella, a physician assistant at MedStar Health, said no one was caught off guard.

“We’re not surprised to see them,” said Gonella. “We fully expect to see them.”

To avoid that flu fever or RSV cough, Gonella said it’s best to go back to the basics.

“Good hand hygiene,” he said. “I know we talk about it a lot. But it really does make a difference.”

The CDC also recommends getting vaccinated and staying home when you feel sick.

While the flu and RSV see an upward tick in cases, there’s one respiratory illness that hasn’t shown up as much this year.

“Not a lot of COVID,” Gonella said.

The Centers for Disease Control ranked COVID-19 as “very low” nationwide and “growing” in the D.C. area.

Tools to fight hantavirus show promise despite limited funding. Now researchers hope to continue

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — When a rare but deadly rodent-borne virus struck passengers on a cruise ship and seemed to be spreading, there were no treatments for those who fell ill and no vaccines to protect others. That was the case even though it wasn't a novel germ that the world had never seen before, like the virus that caused the coronavirus pandemic. It was a hantavirus, one of a family of viruses that have been known for decades and are thought to exist around the world. Teams of researchers, including in Chile, Argentina and the United States, have long been trying to find and develop drugs and vaccines. But because the viruses are relatively rare and don't spread easily between people, there hasn't been enough sustained investment by governments, global health groups, or drug companies to pay for the extensive safety and efficacy testing needed to make them available. Still, there have been some promising developments. Researchers on Wednesday published a hint that a drug used for an autoimmune disease may help hantavirus patients fight off the most deadly symptoms.
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