If you feel like everyone you know is dealing with a cough, cold and runny nose, it's not in your head. Multiple viruses, not just the flu, are currently circulating near season-high levels in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to wastewater data. Flu tests show seasonal influenza activity continues to be elevated in the region, although it's down from the season-high peak at the end of December, according to the California Department of Public Health.
RSV season in the U.S. typically peaks in January and February, with cases often stretching well into March. National emergency room visits and hospitalizations from the virus in kids ages four and younger have dipped slightly but are growing overall in more than a dozen states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest report on January 16.
During this lull is the perfect time to get vaccinated - before respiratory viruses pick up. A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report underscores why. Last flu season was especially severe, with one of the highest numbers of pediatric flu deaths in recent years. Nationwide, 109 children developed influenza-associated encephalopathy, a dangerous brain swelling caused by flu infection. In New York alone, 26 children died.