Covid continues to plague Floridians as families travel and gather for Thanksgiving, but it’s not the disaster it once was. Instead, other viruses such as the stomach flu are wreaking havoc.
In the year As of Nov. 17, Florida is in a low-risk state for Covid, and the state’s health watchdog shows a decrease in hospitalizations and deaths from the virus compared to previous years. Heading into the holiday weekend, Nov. 10 levels of COVID in Broward and Palm Beach counties are at their lowest levels this year. Florida Department of Health Information.
However, Covid can be seasonal, and cases tend to increase after holiday gatherings and travel.
“Covid is still out there, and I’m sure there will be some winter surgery,” he said. Dr. Jason GoldmanInternal medicine specialist in Coral Springs.
However, as family and friends gather for holiday meals, the stomach flu, also known as norovirus, is a great reason to stay away and wash your hands thoroughly.
“Norovirus is tearing through schools,” he said. Dr. Jill Roberts, Associate Professor with the USF College of Public Health. “Insanely contagious and hard to get rid of.”
Norovirus causes vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and sometimes fever. It is transmitted from an infected person directly or indirectly through contaminated objects, objects, food or drinks.
“The tip of a pin can make a thousand people sick,” Roberts said.
In the Southeast, including Florida, the percentage of norovirus lab tests that came back positive nearly doubled in the past month. About 2,500 outbreaks of norovirus are reported in the United States each year. According to the CDC.
“Norovirus mutates, and every couple of years there’s a new strain,” USF’s Roberts said.
You can get norovirus disease many times in your life, because infection with one type of norovirus does not protect against other types. Hand washing is the best way to prevent infection.
In the United States, norovirus outbreaks are most common in the late fall, winter, and early spring. Symptoms usually last about 48 hours, and children younger than 5 years old and adults older than 85 years old are more likely to go to the emergency room, where the greatest risk is severe dehydration.
With the stomach flu, the symptoms are different and easy to diagnose. It is a respiratory disease with similar symptoms, such as influenza and RSV. Both are on the rise in Florida.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent weekly summary update named Florida as having a high level of activity for influenza-like illness.
Typically, winter flu season peaks in December or January, but this year it made its November entrance in Florida.
“We’re seeing a lot of flu and a lot of RSV,” said Goldman, an internal medicine specialist.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is usually characterized by a croupy cough. Symptoms include nasal congestion, cough, fever and sore throat. Florida’s RSV season is longer than the rest of the country, and the length varies by region State health information. So far this year, Florida has experienced 28 RSV outbreaks.
“There are treatments for RSV, but they can be expensive,” Roberts said. “We want to limit treatment to people at high risk.”
So far this fall, the CDC estimates at least 780,000 flu illnesses, at least 8,000 hospitalizations and at least 490 flu-related deaths — at least one child. In Florida, no one can say for sure how long this season will last.
Flu vaccination rates were low this year: 35% of US adults and 33% of children were vaccinated. This is a decrease compared to last year.
Goldman said he expects flu season to last through at least the end of April.
“Last year I had flu patients until June,” he said. “That’s why prevention is so important.”
Sun Sentinel health reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.