How to Combat the Flu, Covid-19 and RSV

• Health & Wellness

Voice 1:

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois

Host:

Welcome back to Marketplace guides. It's the season of sniffles and chills. Now this week, we are spreading awareness of influenza. But not only is the flu a prevalent topic, but many medical experts are highlighting RSV as well as Covid-19. Chief medical officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Dr. Derek Robinson, is here to discuss this a little further. Dr. Robinson, how are you doing today?

Dr. Robinson:

I'm doing well, it's good to be with you.

Host:

Yeah. So this year, health experts are predicting that this flu season will be more severe. Why, and what can we do about it?

Dr. Robinson:

That's right. We are expecting a much worse flu season this year than in years past. You all remember 2020 and 2021, we were really in the height of the Covid pandemic. So we had lots of mask-wearing, lots of social distancing and people staying at home. So now that we've got vaccines that are widely available, mask mandates and other mitigation measures have come down. We're back together again. And as the cooler months come to our area, we spend more time indoors. We've got the holidays coming up. So there is a ripe opportunity for the transmission of viruses and other respiratory illnesses. We're seeing it happen across Illinois and across the country. And also, as we've looked at how influenza has circulated in other parts of the world this year, we've seen it be significantly higher than in years past. So we're expecting flu cases to peak at a much higher rate and perhaps earlier in the United States this year.

Host:

Now who is most at-risk for this?

Dr. Robinson:

So individuals who are elderly, pregnant women, and young children are at risk for severe illness related to influenza. But, you know, we've got a bunch of viruses that are circulating and you've probably heard this term - tripledemic. So we've got influenza. We've got RSV which typically impacts younger children, usually a self-limited illness but for kids who may be ex-preemies or have asthma, maybe under the age of 2, may be at an increased risk for complications related to that. And then of course, we've got Covid-19 which is still with us. Cases are better now than they have been in the past but that's still something for us to watch out for. And particularly in our seniors, those who are still 65 years of age or older, are still dying at a much higher percentage than other age ranges due to Covid-19. So we want to ensure that everyone, including our seniors, are getting that Covid-19 Bivalent vaccine, the last booster that came out. It does have some new components in it that do protect against some of the new variants.

Host:

So let's talk a little more about that triple threat - flu, Covid, and RSV. So there are some differences, but what are the symptoms of those?

Dr. Robinson:

Well, there are a lot of commonalities that these viral infections have. Cough, runny nose, sneezing, muscle aches, fever; these are things you can see across each of them. And even for clinicians and doctors, it can be a little challenging to sort through which virus an individual has. And I think that's the challenge that we're going to face in our households right now. Someone sniffling, coughing, and we're going to try to figure out... well, what do they have? So the best thing we can do is go ahead and look at what we can do to prevent these illnesses. We know that two of these three very common viruses we're seeing right now have vaccines available. So getting vaccinated against influenza is something that I recommend the individuals in my family do each year. CDC and Department of Public Health recommend that for our communities. Anyone over the age of 6 months can get vaccinated for the flu. We also have Covid-19 vaccinations that are available. For RSV, no vaccine yet but research is working on a vaccine. But that's not here now. So we have to take some of these other steps that we know to do to help prevent the transmission of these respiratory illnesses.

Host:

Yeah, I'm sure parents out there are wondering what can they do and how can they dig a little deeper. So where can we get some more information?

Dr. Robinson:

Well, let me share a couple of tips; 1. Wash your hands, use sanitizer. 2. Be sure that kids are covering their coughs. And if an individual is sick, definitely stay at home until they're feeling better. And then of course, ensure that you're washing down high-touch surfaces. Some of the things that we did during Covid. And then the last thing I will say is try not to share utensils, eating behind each other. Kids are adorable, we love to kiss them this time of the year but maybe try kissing them on the forehead or somewhere that avoids the snotty nose - the place where individuals have a lot of viral particles. So think and be responsible about that close contact during the holiday season is going to be really vital to keeping the young ones, the middle-aged folks and the older folks safe for the holidays.

Host:

Let's just go back to shaking hands, okay? I know as a kid I did not want to be kissed on my forehead, cheek or anything. So just keep that in mind, parents and grandparents out there. Dr. Derek Robinson, thank you so much for coming on the show. Guys, we do have information on our website as well - newschannel20.com. Dr. Robinson, we'll see you next time.