NEW HAMPSHIRE — Health experts are warning that two respiratory illnesses are currently circulating at a “high” level in New Hampshire.
According to the CDC, emergency-level visits for flu, RSV, and COVID-19 are on the rise, with high levels increasing.
Additionally, wastewater activity level currently shows high levels of COVID and the flu but low levels of RSV in New Hampshire, the CDC says.
The CDC predicts that peak hospitalizations from all respiratory viruses remain likely to be much higher than they were before the emergence of COVID-19.
Some symptoms are hard to distinguish among illnesses, especially with respiratory viruses.
The Granite State is experiencing a “high” level of three respiratory illnesses, according to health experts.
NEW HAMPSHIRE — According to medical professionals, there are two respiratory diseases that are presently “high” in the state of New Hampshire.
High levels of flu, RSV, and COVID-19 are increasing, and emergency-level visits are also rising, according to the CDC.
The CDC clarified, “When levels are high, it may indicate that infections are making people sick enough to require treatment.”.
Furthermore, according to the CDC, wastewater activity levels in New Hampshire currently indicate low levels of RSV but high levels of COVID and the flu.
“People who are infected often shed virus into wastewater, even if they don’t have symptoms. The CDC states that even when other metrics are low, elevated wastewater levels may suggest a higher level of infections.
The increase isn’t limited to New Hampshire either. Most regions of the nation have seen an increase in COVID-19 activity, according to CDC data. Nationwide, flu activity is still high, and RSV activity is “very high” in many places, especially among young children.
The CDC estimates that peak hospitalizations from all respiratory viruses will probably continue to be significantly higher than they were prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the CDC, norovirus cases are on the rise. Read more about it in Florida.
How can I determine whether I have COVID-19, the flu, the common cold, or another illness?
In particular, respiratory viruses can have symptoms that are difficult to differentiate from other illnesses. Others are obvious.
This is what you need to know about the diseases that are presently circulating in the region.
A foodborne illness known as norovirus can spread through contaminated surfaces and water, causing nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain that lasts for one to three days.
Numerous viruses can cause the common cold, which can last less than a week and cause symptoms like a runny nose, congestion, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, headaches, body aches, or a low fever.
A fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headaches, and fatigue are all symptoms of the flu, which is brought on by influenza viruses that are constantly evolving. Flu symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to two weeks and usually appear sooner than cold symptoms.
For a number of days, COVID-19 can cause fever, chills, coughing, shortness of breath, sore throat, congestion, loss of taste or smell, exhaustion, headaches, aches, nausea, or vomiting.
Coughing, sneezing, wheezing, congestion, fever, and a week or two of appetite loss are all possible side effects of RSV.
How you can prevent illness.
Hands should be cleaned. I mean it. Regular and thorough hand washing, with soap, is essential to halting the spread of COVID-19, colds, flu, and norovirus. This is particularly true following food preparation or consumption and bathroom breaks. A. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
You should clean surfaces that have come into contact with contaminated food or bodily fluids right away if you have contracted norovirus. Disinfecting items with a chlorine bleach solution or one of the products on this Environmental Protection Agency website is advised by the CDC.
Remember to wash any clothing that has come into contact with feces or vomit using hot water and detergent. Clean your hands after that.
Cleaning frequently surfaces you come into contact with is the best way to prevent colds and the flu. Doorknobs, light switches, countertops, cherished toys, and cell phones come to mind. Make use of soap or detergent-containing household cleaning supplies, and then sanitize afterward. The CDC has more tips on how to clean. The CDC states that there is little chance of contracting COVID-19 from a contaminated surface because the virus typically spreads through the air through droplets and particles.
Since viruses can spread through talking, coughing, and sneezing, if you feel a tickle in your nose or throat, cover your mouth with a tissue. After that, wash your hands. Once more.
Consider wearing a medical-grade or N95 mask in crowded areas to protect yourself from respiratory viruses, even if you’re not ill. Don’t touch your face: If you touch your face, eyes, or nose while carrying a respiratory or norovirus germ or virus on your unwashed hands, it can enter your mucous membranes and cause you to become ill.
There are yearly flu shots for those aged 6 months and up, as well as updated COVID-19 vaccines. You may want to get the RSV vaccine if you are pregnant or 60 years of age or older.
However, there is no vaccine to prevent the common cold or norovirus.
This report was aided by the Associated Press.
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