Fear of ‘tripledemia’, the joint epidemic of covid, influenza and syncytial virus

This Monday, the new ‘conseller’ de Salut, Manuel Balcellsa graduate in Medicine, had already warned: we should expect a “complicated” winter epidemiologically speaking due to the coincidence of influenza, coronavirus and other viruses, such as the syncytial.

His concern is not trivial. ‘The New York Times’ is already talking about a ‘.tripledemia‘, by combining the two epidemics of the past winter -the influenza and the coronavirus– with childhood infections by RSV, or syncytial virus.

It is a common lung infection in infants and young children, causing inflammation and congestion in the bronchioles of the lung.although most cases are mild and usually resolve within two to three weeks without treatment.

Panorama “unknown”

“We are in uncharted territory,” Andrew Read, a microbiologist at Pennsylvania State University, assures the U.S. newspaper. “Most cases of all three viruses are likely to be mild, but together they could sicken millions of Americans and overwhelm hospitals,” public health experts warn.

“We’re seeing it all come back with a vengeance,” acknowledges Alpana Waghmare, M.D., an infectious disease expert at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and a physician at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

RSV is highly contagious and is most commonly transmitted in the kindergartens and schoolsdue to close contact between children. It is estimated that 90% of children will have been infected with respiratory syncytial virus during the first two years of life.

However, despite typically occurring in minors, respiratory syncytial virus can affect people of all ages. In general, respiratory syncytial virus infections in the United States occur during the first two years of life. fall, winter, or spring.

Although there is no specific treatment for respiratory syncytial virus infection, pain relievers, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, can help with fever and pain, as with covid and influenza. It is also important to drink fluids to prevent dehydration and soothe a cough.

More covid in Catalonia

Diagnosed cases of covid have increased in the last few years. seven days to 5,723 positives, but instead those admitted with coronavirus decreased slightly, going from 540 to 521 hospitalized on Tuesday, while the ICUs remain stable, with 17 critical, reports Efe.

In the last week, until last Sunday, 5,723 cases were diagnosed, compared to 5,121 the previous week, representing a growth of 11%.

According to data updated Tuesday by the Information System for the Surveillance of Infections in Catalonia (SIVIC), the number of patients admitted to hospitals fell slightly, from 540 to 521, after a significant increase of 100 patients in seven days in the second week of October.