United States: Influenza, COVID, RSV, and norovirus are now moving their rounds around the country, although the term ‘quad-demic’ could be heard trending online or in conversations, the first three being referred to as a ‘triple-demic.’
The short, unofficial term for the four diseases that are happening simultaneously might call to mind some sort of apocalyptic event, but the four horsemen are not quite as terrifying as the prior seasons of respiratory viruses.
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According to Dr. Robert Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, “All of the viruses are here, it’s just they’re affecting different areas a little bit differently,” fortune.com reported.
I don’t want to panic people, but I would say if you haven’t been vaccinated and you’re eligible for vaccination—that means everybody 6 months of age and older – get that COVID shot, get that flu shot,” Hopkins added.
Doctors warn of quad-demic as infections soar and mask mandates return https://t.co/I1tItpG0Ww via @MailOnline
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Furthermore, “An RSV vaccine is also available for adults 75 and older, adults 60 to 74 with certain chronic medical conditions, and expectant parents late in pregnancy, Hopkins stresses. “We have tools, we just have to use them,” he added.
What more are the officials stating?
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, referred to this time of the year as respiratory virus vaccination season.
“Benjamin Franklin had it right: ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,'” Schaffner tells Fortune. “Let’s do what we can to prevent serious illness this year. We’re under-vaccinating,” Schaffner added.
“Make ample use of soap and water,” Schaffner added while noting that alcohol-based hand sanitizer alone doesn’t defeat norovirus.
🚨Several US states are reinstating mask mandates as doctors caution about a potential ‘quad-demic’ involving four viral infections. pic.twitter.com/6BiWNqBQbV
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 3, 2025
“It’s highly contagious and you can probably pick it up on the environment, on your fingers, and then when you touch your nose and mouth, that’s how the transmission occurs,” he continued.
Hopkins adds that an RSV vaccine exists for adults at least 75 years of age, those with underlying diseases for 60 to 74 years, and pregnant women, especially during the last trimester.
The same principles probably applied during the beginning of the COVID crisis: preventative measures can prevent illness as well, Hopkins notes.
The HHS, which CDC is under, often divides the country into 10 regions when mapping illnesses.