COVID cases It is on the rise again in many countries. And this time, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is with us. Influenza viruses and a third dangerous pathogen, respiratory syncytial virus, have surged in the United States, Europe and Asia at the same time as the novel coronavirus.
To use the decidedly unscientific term is “triple infection”. And it is the harbinger of our pathogenic future. Overlapping virus outbreaks could become the norm as the argument is pushed to alarming heights.
add another monkeypox Also bird flu epidemic And you may even experience “tetraplegia”. In addition to potentially overwhelmed healthcare systems, the coincidence comes with another nasty risk.According to research, in fact make each other worse.
Epidemiologists expect viral infections to spike in winter. People are traveling on various vacations, dragging the virus with them and putting others at risk along the way. Cold weather drives people indoors. There, they share air, saliva, and air and saliva-borne pathogens.
Hence the seasonal flu epidemics that are usually seen in the winter. COVID has also developed a seasonal pattern for the same reason, so it’s no surprise that the number of his COVID cases has started to rise in the US, Europe and Japan in recent weeks. In China, the number of people infected with the new coronavirus is increasing rapidly.But it has a peculiar reason.
COVID and flu were about to begin their usual winter rampage when respiratory syncytial virus also made a major appearance. Five times the case rate of last year.
European Division of the World Health Organization wrapped up the crisis In a statement dated December 1. “The region is currently experiencing an increase in influenza and respiratory syncytial virus epidemics. Along with COVID-19, these viruses are expected to have a significant impact on our healthcare services and population this winter.”
RSV usually causes mild cold-like symptoms, and most people recover quickly. However, in infants and the elderly, RSV can be fatal. It is the leading cause of pneumonia in newborns. In addition to the cumulative burden on hospitals if RSV and other viruses surge at the same time, there are signs that the flu and her COVID are making her RSV more dangerous. vice versa.
James Lawler, an infectious disease expert at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, pieced together the clues. He said, “Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus activity last year was at relatively normal levels, but hospitalizations were relatively normal… [or] “It’s the result of death,” he told the Daily Beast. increase.”
Last winter’s COVID surge Subspecies of Omicronmay have weakened millions of people who are not normally at high risk for influenza or respiratory syncytial virus. It brings chaos,” Lawler explained.
It’s okay to be skeptical about possible interactions between the three viruses. “It’s hard to say there’s hard evidence,” he stressed Lawler.But he did point out the persuasive bit situational evidence. “Countries with better control over COVID (South Korea, Japan, Taiwan) No Hospitalizations due to influenza and respiratory syncytial virus have increased this year. ” surely, ratio Japan has a high rate of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus infection, but the severity is normal and most people recover at home.
Research may ultimately prove or refute that immune effects of one viral infection increase or exacerbate the likelihood of another infection. While we wait for science to catch up, we’re walking on thin epidemiological ice.At the same time it is equally determined No To protect yourself from the effects of these pathogens.
Many of the worst human viruses did not originate in humans.It’s an animal virus that jumped out homo sapiens After prolonged exposure. Monkeypox is endemic in monkey and rodent populations in West and Central Africa, and became a human problem in the 1970s with the accelerated destruction of African rainforests. COVID appears to have been transmitted to humans from pangolins (a type of scaly anteater) and bats, possibly originating at a wildlife market in Wuhan, China. Avian flu, which occasionally rages among humans, is, as the name suggests, a virus of birds.
The more forests we clear, the more wild animals we trade for pets and food, and the more chickens we pack into industrial farms, the more viruses we come into contact with and the greater the risk of animal-to-human transmission. A process that scientists call “zoonosis”.
Without major changes in how people make and eat, zoonotic diseases will only get worse. Tony Moody, professor of immunology at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, told the Daily Beast: It also said, “With a growing population and more contact with livestock, we need to increase food production.”
Vaccines can protect you from the worst consequences. But the trend on that front is equally disappointing. As trust in science wanes and more people receive “news” from conspiracy theorists on social media, vaccine penetration is starting to decline.
A quarter of Americans still refuse to get Any COVID vaccine. U.S. has disastrously low uptake of newest boosters This year, more and more people are reluctant to get a flu shot. Vulnerable communities eagerly embrace monkeypox vaccine, Was goodbut the refusal of a proven polio vaccine in a handful of New York counties has created a rare and, frankly, frightening occurrence.Polio cases soar this summerPolio, once prevalent, can cause paralysis in a small number of cases.
Zoonotic diseases and vaccine reluctance are twin forces of overlapping viral outbreaks that could define our epidemiological future as a species. It’s hard to imagine humanity ending deforestation so quickly and reversing the tide of misinformation on the internet so quickly that in the near future, a point in time where humanity isn’t grappling with at least one major viral outbreak It is difficult to imagine
Preventable outbreaks will continue. Probably from multiple major viruses at once.
