Given that we are living through THREE global health emergencies (COVID, polio, and monkeypox), new vaccines are being approved, new outbreaks are occurring, and the reality that being healthy is being redefined as a radical selfless act of loving others, “Three Things Thursday” highlights three things I am paying attention to as an epidemiologist each week.
Hoping these posts help to educate and empower you
to be healthy and create healthy communities.
Today’s three things Thursday —
Uptick in Illnesses Post-Thanksgiving
It has been two weeks since Thanksgiving and there has been an uptick in illnesses across the country. A lot of people are sick. Within my social circles, I am hearing about COVID, flu, RSV, and a terrible stomach virus (complete with projectile vomiting). More than 9 million Americans have already been sick with flu, RSV, or COVID this flu season (a dramatic increase compared to the previous years1). Data from across the country are leading to headlines such as Flu Returns to Campus with a Vengence, Post-Thanksgiving Illnesses, and Thanksgiving kicked off a COVID surge, and it’s slamming U.S. hospitals already battling the tripledemic: ‘It’s the perfect storm for a terrible holiday season.’
According to CDC Director Dr. Walensky —
“The U.S. is seeing a post-Thanksgiving surge in COVID cases and hospitalizations— an expected but concerning development, with hospital capacity already stretched thin by epidemic levels of the flu and RSV.
“The rise is especially worrisome as we move into winter months, when people are assembling indoors with less ventilation. It’s more concerning given upcoming holiday family gatherings involving the elderly, who are at higher risk for severe outcomes from all respiratory illnesses circulating at high levels this fall.”
COVID hospitalizations in the United States began trending dramatically upward after Thanksgiving, particularly among those ages 70 and older. The current seven-day average of COVID hospitalization sits at 4,650 — up 27% from the week prior. So while we talk about COVID infections becoming milder for those of us who are vaccinated or previously infected, this is an important reminder that it is our job to prevent the spread of disease to protect those who are most vulnerable. To do so, we must stay home when we are sick, and we should take precautions (masking, limiting social interactions) prior to gathering with individuals who are at high risk.
Influenza — cases and hospitalizations — are also on the rise. In fact, for the first time since the pandemic began, the number of influenza hospitalizations was greater than the number of COVID hospitalizations last week. Again, it is important for those of us who are healthy and vaccinated to slow the spread of disease and protect individuals in our communities who are most vulnerable.
There is no such thing as JUST THE FLU.
Influenza is a serious and sometimes deadly virus.
Remember — it is not too late to get the flu or COVID vaccine. Please stay home when you are sick. Use your mask to protect yourself in crowded indoor spaces or to protect others if you are not feeling well or know you’ve been exposed to a virus. And please wash your hands and cover your coughs/sneezes.
New Research — Linking Immune System Function to Temperature
There is so much news/information about the uptick in illnesses during the winter months. And we assume (myself included) that this uptick is associated with a move indoors during the colder months, which it is. HOWEVER — according to research published this week in The Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology there is also a direct link between immune system function and the ambient temperature.
AMAZING!
In the new study, researchers demonstrate that when the temperatures outdoors decrease, our immune system responses are not as strong as they are when the temperatures are warmer outdoors.
Your body’s first line of defense against a respiratory disease is your nose. The nose is designed to stop pathogens before they get any further into your body. For example, when bacteria are detected in your nose, the immune system releases a swarm of fluid-filled sacs that are designed to neutralize that bacteria. Similarly, when viruses are detected in the nose, defense mechanisms are released and the body tries to neutralize the viral particles before they reach the throat.
This new paper reports — “a true, quantitative, biologic explanation…of why the body is more susceptible to viral infections when being exposed to cold.” Specifically, researchers found that the immune response was significantly blunted at a lower temperature. In other words, your immune system does not function as effectively or aggressively when the temperature outdoors (and in your nose) is lower.
Not only does this explain why we see more respiratory diseases during the colder winter months, but it also might provide a pathway to create new treatments to prevent or decrease the severity of respiratory diseases. According to Mansoor Amiji, chairman of the department of pharmaceutical sciences at Northeastern University and one of the study’s co-authors, if researchers can find a way to boost the nose’s innate immune response, even under cold temperatures, they could feasibly stop more viral illnesses before they take root.
So cool.
The Opioid Epidemic
Overdoses — fatal or not — of both prescription opioids and illicit drugs have become epidemic in the United States. More than 107,000 American die each year from drug overdoses (and the number continues to increase) each year; approximately 75% of those deaths are caused by opioid overdoses.
Addiction is an epidemic.
And it is time that we face the epidemic and work toward slowing the spread of disease (yes, addiction is a disease; it is not a character flaw or a moral shortcoming, it is a disease).
President Biden’s Unity Agenda prioritizes overdose prevention.
However — in Congress, there have been no major policy changes to address substance use disorders during the past two years.
Many in the public health field agree that policy change, funding, programming, and action are needed now to slow the epidemic of overdoses. According to Reyna Taylor at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing —
“Lives across our nation are being lost every day.“It does put pressure on Congress to move, and move faster, to abate this. We haven’t seen a decrease in the overdose numbers yet.”
As we think about creating healthy communities, we all must know/understand —
One in seven (14%) of Americans report experiencing a substance abuse disorder.
There is not a single risk factor that leads to addiction. In other words — addiction can happen to any one of us.
Addiction is a disease. It is not a character flaw or moral shortcoming. And addiction can be prevented and treated.
Also, please take the time to learn the signs of an overdose and what to do if you believe someone is overdosing.
It is important that we advocate for addiction prevention and treatment programs in order to create healthy communities.
Have questions?
For comparison, the top map shows the intensity of influenza in Nov 2022 compared to the bottom map, which shows flu intensity in Nov 2019 (pre-COVID). The current flu season is truly extraordinary.