.png)
As the country enters the cold and flu illness season, Texas physicians warn there are three viruses lurking in the air–the influenza virus that causes the flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Physicians say the best way to say safe–especially for those at greatest risk of severe illness–is to vaccinate against all three.
“These are the respiratory viruses we see seasonally, usually in the fall and winter, that can cause serious illness in young children, the elderly, and people who are immunocompromised,” said Trish Perl, MD, chair of the Texas Medical Association’s (TMA’s) Committee on Infectious Diseases.
“RSV is the single most important cause of hospitalizations in children,” for example, she said. Another factor that makes the interplay of the three viruses challenging is that they are very difficult to differentiate, with all three presenting similar symptoms. Dr. Perl said knowing which virus is making someone severely sick is important for physicians treating serious cases because “we approach these differently in different patient populations.”
The Dallas physician –an infectious diseases specialist– warns that while people have become accustomed to using COVID-19 test kits at home, they are not always accurate and cannot test for the flu or RSV. Even if the COVID-19 test shows a negative result, she says it is important for patients at risk to get tested at a physician’s office, clinic, or hospital, which can test for all three viruses so patients can get the care they need.
In addition to considering testing for other viruses, it is important for someone with symptoms but testing negative for COVID-19 to still take everyday preventive actions, such as staying home, to prevent spreading an illness to others.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved COVID-19 booster shots that target the strains of the coronavirus that are most prevalent now – XBB and XBB.1.5 – both subvariants of the omicron variant. The current recommendation is to get the COVID vaccine and the flu shot at the same time.
