Cover Your Cough or Cover Up?

Angie SzumlinskiNews

A recent study published in Psychological Science is scary stuff! The study found that of 4,110 participants in the study, 75% said they had either hidden an infectious illness from others at least once or might do so in the future. Many of these participants boarded airplanes, went on dates, and engaged in other social interactions. What is even more …

Respiratory Illnesses

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Yep, here we are again, in the throws of another difficult respiratory illness season! Hopefully you and yours are prepared, are taking precautions and are up to date with your vaccinations! There is a lot of controversy regarding vaccinations, I get it, that said, many of our frail elders will not survive this flu season without these vaccines. As a …

Respiratory Viruses and You

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Ugh, the flu season, it is back and predicted to be a more difficult year due to last year being relatively mild. If you have never had the flu, trust me, you don’t want to experience it. The body aches, fever, chills, sore throat, cough, difficulty breathing, oh and don’t forget the possible GI symptoms some people experience! Sounds great, …

That Time of Year Again!

Angie SzumlinskiNews

The timing of flu vaccination has not changed, September and October are still the best times for most people to get vaccinated. The CDC continues to recommend vaccination as long as flu viruses pose a threat for everyone 6 months and older since 2010. Most flu vaccines continue to be produced using an egg-based manufacturing process and contain a small …

Holidays, Viruses, and Capacity

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Let’s face it, they just don’t mix! There are some dire projections out there including what some are calling the risk of a “tripledemic!” Just what we need, right? Cases of RSV are rising quickly in young children, filling ICU beds, in fact, most hospitalizations today are related to RSV and not COVID. Why? Because we have weakened our immunity, …

FLU Vaccines and COVID Boosters

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Flu season is upon us, we are hearing of flu outbreaks around the country and that the virus is somewhat more virulent this year! The CDC recommends that adults over the age of 18 receive a COVID-19 booster ALONG WITH their annual flu vaccine. Makes sense, right? A one-stop-shop, a poke in each arm and you are armed to fight …

Influenza – Are We in Trouble?

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Since the pandemic hit the United States last winter, the flu has basically been nowhere except in a few places like western Africa. During the flu season of 2019-2020, more than 38 million people in the United States became sick with influenza and nearly 22,000 of them died. Compare that to October 3, 2020 to July 24, 2021, only 2,136 …

Antibiotic Stewardship Again

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Bacterial co-infections and secondary infections are commonly identified in severe influenza (23%) and other severe respiratory viral infections, in which they are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. National and International COVID-19 guidelines vary in their recommendations on empirical antimicrobial therapy, some recommend empirical antimicrobial therapy in severe diseases where others do not. In a study published in the Lancet, …

No Flu Season

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Experts predicted that the 2019/20 flu season in the Northern Hemisphere would be a bad one. And then it wasn’t. The COVID-19 pandemic hit, international travel ground to a halt, physical distancing and mask wearing became more common, and the flu went away. Part of the sudden decrease might be the result of health authorities in some areas focusing all …

Differentiate SARS-CoV-2, FLU A, FLU B and RSV

Angie SzumlinskiFeatured

Abbott Laboratories announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the company’s Alinity™ m Resp-4-Plex molecular assay to detect and differentiate SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, influenza B and Respiratory Syncytial virus (RSV) in one test. This is an important tool because these viruses have similar symptoms but require different treatment approaches. This test …