ITS ALMOST LIKE ITS ... UM ... WINTER!!!!!

 So the CDC is putting out warnings again for "Respitory Illness"

There has been an uptick in hospitalizations/ER trips for coughs & fever ... but they do not break it down into how many of these were simply people panicking after the C-19 lockdown ... or if these were actual cases of the Big 3 issues they say we should look out for.

C-19 ... while there are a MULTITUDE of varients ou there, you never know which you might get ... if you get it ... when the hoopla was going on, I found that the death rate from the disease was less than 1% of the US population.  And, yes, my family did get hit - my husband and my youngest daughter caught it.  She had more of the "cold" type symptoms (nasally stuff) while hubby had more of the "flu" type symptoms (out both ends) ... but both had the yucky food taste symptom.

Flu - Still a "crap shoot" (pardon the pun) as to which strain will hit.  Since so many doses have to be prepared, hey have to GUESS if the strain will be Flu A, B, or C ... btw, "Swine Flu" or H1N1 is a varient of Flu A - it got to the point where many states (mine included) simply called ALL Flu A cases "Swine Flu" and reported those numbers, very little lab work went on to designate which were/weren't actually Swine Flu.  I remember when they first started worrying about this in the 70's -- clearly they knew it wasn't going to be too bad.

RSV - many people have never heard of this before ... because it has been faily UNcommon .... usually it hit the very young or those with underlying conditions.  One of my nieces caught this shrtly after being sent home after being born. It was described as bacsically being a bad cold but neither pnuemonia nor bronchitis ... It can be deadly for those with poor lung development.  But why has it suddenly seen such an UPRISE in contangibility? Now that's the question that needs to be answered.  I've got my ideas, but I have no proof.

So ... this winter when every one is abou to catch COLDS, COUGHS, SORE THROATS, ETC. please

DO NOT

PANIC!!!

Chances are - its will simply run its course - if you have a concern, wait and see your regular physician unless you are having an obvious emergency -- lets not plug ERs and/or thow off the statistics.