SoCal doctors seeing surge of upper respiratory illnesses following Thanksgiving holiday
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The holidays are a big time for gatherings and that may mean a higher risk of getting sick. That's because more and more people are getting together, spending time indoors and traveling - all things doctors say can help spread illness.
Plus, the holiday season can also bring on higher stress levels which can lower immunity, making us more susceptible.
Two weeks after the Thanksgiving holiday, doctors are seeing which diseases are leading the pack.
"We're starting to see much more upper respiratory illnesses. In particular, one called respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV," said Huntington Health's Dr. John Rodarte, with Descanso Pediatrics.
Rodarte says RSV feels like a cold, but it can last longer. Symptoms for some may include a fever, though not everyone will experience this.
"The infants, the toddlers, the elderly, those are the ones most susceptible to RSV. They can have respiratory complications," Rodarte explained.
MORE: How to tell the difference between RSV, flu and COVID-19
"Emergency room visits for flu have been low, although increasing, but wastewater surveillance shows a lot of flu cases," said Dr. Otto Yang, the Associate Chief of Infectious Diseases at UCLA's Geffen School of Medicine.
As for COVID, Rodarte says they're not seeing too much COVID at this time yet. But he added. "We don't know if that's going to peak again during this winter season. But so far we're good with that. There is an over-the-counter test that tests both COVID and flu."
If you are positive, doctors say there are treatments for both -- but you need to know early.
And with the common cold, Yang says it's important to know that some of those germs. like enteroviruses, can't be killed with hand sanitizer -- only soap and water.
"Envelope viruses have a layer of membrane that alcohol disrupts. But non-envelope viruses don't have that membrane. And so the alcohol doesn't do anything to them," he explained.
So your best defense? Get the available vaccines, wash your hands often, wear a mask in crowded, enclosed places. Besides protecting from airborne germs, masks offer a fringe benefit.
"One of the protective effects of even plain surgical masks is that when you touch your face, you don't come in direct contact with your your mouth and nose," Yang said.
This season, we're going to need all the protection we can get.
