Sick With Something That Isn ’ t COVID-19 or the Flu? Here ’ s What It Might Be

Flu season is wrapping up, and weekly COVID-19 diagnoses are declining. But if you’re currently sick with a respiratory illness, you’re not alone. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that a mixture of respiratory viruses are circulating right now, including common coronaviruses (other than SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19), respiratory adenovirus, and parainfluenza (which is distinct from influenza). All of these viruses can cause cold-like symptoms including fever, runny nose, sore throat, and cough, so “it’s very, very hard to tell the difference between any of them clinically,” says Dr. Helen Chu, an associate professor of infectious disease at the University of Washington and a principal investigator at the Seattle Flu Alliance, which tracks respiratory disease spread. (Norovirus and rotavirus are also going around right now, but they cause gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting and diarrhea.) [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] While lots of viruses are spreading right now, one respiratory virus is currently causing a particularly high percentage of positives among test results tracked by the CDC: human metapneumovirus (HMPV). More than 20% of antigen and 10% of PCR tests voluntarily reported to the CDC by U.S. laboratories during the week of March 11 came back positive, the agency’s data show. “It is important to note that this is expected respiratory activity for these viruses fo...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Disease healthscienceclimate Source Type: news