As we move deeper into flu season, there are other illnesses doctors are keeping close tabs on.
Five-week-old Luca is on the mend after coming down with RSV.
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It’s a common respiratory illness in children that can be very dangerous. Cases are on the rise, overwhelming pediatric hospitals around the country.
”I could just tell he was struggling to breathe. He was making a sound.”
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RSV is one of three respiratory infections raising health concerns. The others are influenza and COVID-19, creating somewhat of a triple threat.
"Unfortunately, this year it’s looking like we may have a substantial number of influenza cases," said Sabrina Assoumou, a doctor of infectious disease at Boston Medical Center and professor at Boston University's School of Medicine.
The flu is expected to be more commonplace this year because precautions taken during the pandemic like mask requirements are gone. Plus: people are spending more time indoors with the weather getting colder, raising the stakes for the spread of COVID and the flu.
"So my message is if you’re worried about influenza, if you’re worried about overwhelming our health care system get vaccinated," Assoumou said.
The state’s vax finder showed same and next-day appointments for flu vaccinations as well as COVID booster shots. As the mother of a newborn, JJ Bertrand said all of it makes her anxious.
"You don’t want to bring your baby around anybody when you first have him just because you’re so nervous about everything. I was more worried about COVID than RSV."
It’s difficult to predict when the flu season might hit its peak, but it typically happens in January and February.
