UK Could Witness A Tripledemic, Know What It Means

Healthcare experts in the UK warn of a tripledemic, which could be looming over this fall and winter. The NHS has also begun its Covid and flu vaccine roll-out for vulnerable adults. The guidelines note that older people, care home residents and people with health conditions are eligible for the vaccinations. The roll-out came in the light of concerns about the uptake of the flu vaccine after it emerged the illness that had caused at least 18,000 deaths in the last two years.

The word triple means three, thus it refers to the side-by-side outbreaks of three respiratory illness that occur during the fall and the winter seasons.

Dr Chun Tang, a general physician at Pall Mall said to The Independent: "In recent years, it's been used to describe the simultaneous spread of Covid-19, influenza (flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)."

Tang said that each of these viruses can cause severe illness to vulnerable groups including the elderly, young children and those with a weakened immune system.

The three mentioned diseases may have overlapping symptoms like fever, cough, runny nose, and fatigue. This can make it difficult for people to tell the difference between them.

However, there are certain key differences between them. With COVID-19, one of the symptoms could be loss of taste and smell and frequent difficulty in breathing. RSV can cause wheezing and infants are more vulnerable to it, whereas flu hits quickly with sudden fever and body aches.

In case you are unsure, you can always get tested to be sure of the diagnosis.

Tang says that it is possible to contract all three at the same time. "Being infected with multiple respiratory viruses can increase the severity of illness and make it harder for the body to recover, especially for those with weakened immune systems or existing health conditions."

People with asthma, diabetes or weakened immune systems, or babies who are born prematurely, are at more risk of the triple pandemic.