The pandemic added another virus to the seasonal mix, and flu and RSV are returning this year with a vengeance. So a “twin” or even “tripledemic” could be on the way. Via WIREDUK
Because there are no plans to reintroduce control measures, Krauland says it is quite possible that SARS-CoV-2 infections will surge again this winter, ratcheting up pressure on health services. It is unclear whether that surge would collide with the influenza and RSV peaks. “You can imagine many scenarios, but it’s very difficult to pin down which one is the most likely,” she says.
For the health system, two or three simultaneous epidemics is a worrying scenario, but so too is the prospect of contracting more than one virus at the same time. Scientists are not sure how the viruses interact, but there is evidence that simultaneously catching SARS-CoV-2 and influenza increases the risk of severe illness and death. In a study of, researchers in the UK found that 227 patients had also tested positive for the flu, and they were more likely to require ventilation.
But how the influenza and RSV viruses interact and influence the course of disease is not clear: There have been few studies investigating this, with conflicting results, says Pablo Murcia, professor of integrative virology at the University of Glasgow.
Catching both viruses at the same time is a troubling possibility. In a lab experiment, Murcia and his team deliberately infected human lung cells with both viruses and found that they fused together to form a palm-tree-shaped hybrid virus—with RSV forming the trunk and influenza the leaves—which could infect new cells even in the presence of flu antibodies, in essence using its new form to bypass existing flu immunity. Their findings were published in thein October.
Krauland expects that few people will contract multiple viruses at once, provided they stay at home as soon as they notice any symptoms of infection, even if mild. “The three are kind of competing for hosts at this point,” she says, and if they are, this could lead to all three viral waves being flattened. But whether this will happen—and if so, if it will keep hospitals from buckling under the pressure—we probably won’t know until spring.
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