Many diseases share the same symptoms, causing people to get confused and either undermine or overwhelm themselves with worries. With the current flu season on the rise, people in the United States are being very careful about their health and are taking necessary precautions to make sure they do not catch any more respiratory illnesses. Often these diseases show symptoms like coughing and wheezing, nothing that warrants anything more than a general doctor’s visit, sometimes people even think it it is a simple cold, but it could be something worse!

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report on 28 February, last Friday on Respiratory Virus Activity Levels reported a moderate number of people are seeking medical help for respiratory illnesses. The flu is sending many people to the emergency room, RSV Respiratory syncytial virus has been sending many people to the ER along with COVID-19.

While flu test results are slightly less positive than last week, COVID-19 and RSV test results are about the same. In our community's wastewater, the flu virus is still very high, COVID-19 is moderate, and RSV is low. Looking forward, we expect COVID-19 emergency room visits to stay low. While flu visits are still high, they should start to go down soon.

So, even though it might feel like winter is ending, these viruses are still active, and we need to be careful. They are not going away quickly and can still spread easily. Here are some symptoms that should be treated with urgency right now.

Severe Dehydration

When you're really sick, you might not feel like eating or drinking. This can lead to dehydration, which is when your body doesn't have enough water. If your pee is dark yellow, or you feel dizzy, you might be dehydrated. If you pass out, get confused, or your heart beats really fast, you need to go to the hospital right away. Healthcare professionals can give you fluids through a needle to help you feel better. Being dehydrated is very dangerous, and it is important to take it seriously.

Breathing Difficulties

If you're having trouble breathing, or if you're breathing really fast, that's a big sign. It could mean that you have pneumonia or that your body isn't getting enough oxygen. Shortness of breath is always a reason to go to the emergency room. Your body is telling you that something is seriously wrong. It is very important to seek help right away. Do not wait it out at home.

Low Oxygen Levels

If your lips or fingers start to turn blue, that means you're not getting enough oxygen. Also, if you're so tired that you can barely get out of bed, that's another sign that you need to go to the hospital. These are serious symptoms that mean your body needs help right away.

Who’s Most at Risk for Severe Symptoms?

Some people are more likely to get very sick from these viruses. Pregnant people, little kids, and older adults are at higher risk. Also, people who have health problems like heart or lung disease, or people with weak immune systems, are more likely to have serious problems. Older adults are often hospitalized with the flu, COVID, and RSV. These groups need to be extra careful to avoid getting sick. It is very important that these groups get vaccinated.

RSV is especially dangerous for babies and young children. It's one of the main reasons why young kids end up in the hospital. This virus can make it very hard for them to breathe. It is very important to protect young children from this virus, especially in the first few years of their lives.

Doctors in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu surgically removed a fully developed canine tooth from the upper eyelid region of a 16-year-old boy. They described the case as the first reported instance of an ectopic tooth in the upper part of the eye socket.

The case was reported by specialists at Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai in the journal Ophthalmology.

What Did The Doctors Find?

The teenager visited the hospital with painless swelling of his left upper eyelid that had lasted a month. He had no history of injury to the area.

During the examination, doctors noticed two firm, whitish projections beneath the swollen area near the inner side of the upper eyelid, the experts shared in the paper.

A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a dense structure resembling a tooth, with a crown and root, originating from the roof of the left eye socket. It extended towards the tissues in front of the orbital septum, a thin barrier separating the eyelid from the deeper eye socket, and protruded outwards with two tooth-like points on its surface.

The projections' appearance and texture raised the possibility that they were teeth. Dr. Meghana Tanwar, a medical consultant at Aravind Eye Hospital, told Live Science that they had a “fairly smooth surface and were hard on palpation.”

The doctors surgically removed the structure. Examination confirmed that it was a mature canine tooth without teratomatous elements, consistent with an ectopic tooth in the upper part of the eye socket.

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What Is An Ectopic Tooth?

An ectopic tooth develops or emerges in an abnormal location. Some remain within the mouth but appear outside their usual positions in the dental arch, while others develop outside the normal arrangement of teeth.

The latter is particularly unusual. In this teenager's case, the tooth was located in the upper orbital region rather than within the normal dental arch.

Before confirming the diagnosis, doctors considered whether the projections could be associated with a teratoma, a type of tumor that can contain different tissues, including bone and tooth tissue. They also considered whether a foreign object might be lodged in the eyelid.

Imaging and examination of the removed structure helped establish that it was a mature tooth rather than tissue associated with a teratoma.

Why Is This Case Unusual?

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Ectopic teeth have been documented in several locations, including the nasal cavity, chin and maxillary sinus, an air-filled cavity within the cheekbone. Previous reports have also described teeth in the lower part of the eye socket.

However, the doctors said they could not find an earlier report of an ectopic tooth in the superior orbit, the upper region of the eye socket.

“To the best of our knowledge this is the first and only ectopic tooth reported in the superior orbit,” Tanwar told Live Science.

“This was a first not just for us but the world over,” she said of the case. “We were very surprised by it.”

What Causes Ectopic Teeth?

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The doctors could not determine why the tooth developed in this unusual location.

Possible explanations for ectopic tooth development include abnormalities during development, genetic factors, infections and physical trauma. However, the cause in this case remains unknown.

Imaging did not reveal any additional ectopic teeth. Tanwar said the likelihood of the teenager developing another such tooth was low.

I have often heard a familiar bedtime story: “I picked up my phone for five minutes, and suddenly it was 1 a.m.” The person is exhausted, yet continues scrolling through upsetting news, frightening predictions or other people’s lives.

Doomscrolling is not simply a lack of discipline. Our brains are naturally drawn towards possible threats because noticing danger has always supported survival. Each alarming headline tells the nervous system that there may be something important it must understand. The next post promises more information and perhaps a sense of control, so we continue scrolling.

How Stress And Anxiety Fuel Doomscrolling

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For someone already carrying stress or past trauma, uncertainty can feel especially difficult. Scanning for information may become the brain’s way of asking, “Am I safe? Is there something I need to prepare for?” Unfortunately, the answer rarely arrives. Instead, every new story introduces another concern.

Consider someone who goes to bed after a demanding day. Their body is tired, but their mind has had no opportunity to process what happened. They open social media for relief and encounter distressing content. Their heart rate increases, their thoughts become faster and sleep moves further away. The phone may distract them from uncomfortable feelings temporarily, while also keeping their system alert.

Screens can delay sleep by displacing bedtime and exposing us to light, but the emotional content matters too. Anger, fear and comparison create cognitive arousal, the opposite of the slowing down that sleep requires.

Simple Ways To Break The Doomscrolling Cycle

Rather than imposing a harsh digital ban, begin with a realistic boundary.

- Choose a time to stop reading news, charge the phone away from the bed or replace the final 20 minutes of scrolling with something less stimulating.

- Dim the lights, stretch gently, listen to familiar music or write down tomorrow’s worries so the brain does not have to keep rehearsing them.

- If you slip, respond with curiosity rather than criticism: “What was I trying not to feel, or hoping to find?”

When doomscrolling repeatedly disrupts sleep or becomes the main way you manage anxiety, therapy can help explore the need beneath the habit. The aim is not merely to take away the phone, but to help the nervous system discover safer ways to settle.

Sometimes, switching off the screen begins with helping the mind believe that it is safe to stop watching.

By Ms Arouba Kabir, Psychologist, Founder Enso wellness

Beth Dobbin, who represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, now spends more than 22 hours a day in bed.

The 32-year-old retired from athletics in April 2026, describing her illness as “serious” and “life-changing.” She was later diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), a chronic condition with no known cure or specific treatment.

Dobbin reached the 200m semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics and won bronze in the 4x200m relay with Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

“It's life-decimating like I can't even put into words,” she said. “I feel like I've lost everything.”

Beth Dobbin's Diagnosis with ME

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Dobbin’s health began deteriorating after back-to-back COVID-19 and glandular fever infections in the winter of 2021-22, the BBC

reported.

She experienced worsening fatigue, slower running times and soreness in the glands in her neck and armpits. Initial tests by British Athletics doctors failed to identify the cause.

Despite her symptoms, she continued training in 2022. At the European Championships, she false-started after losing all feeling in her legs while in the starting blocks.

Her condition subsequently worsened. She struggled to stand and spent most of her time in bed. After consulting four or five specialists, she was diagnosed with ME.

Dobbin has been confined to her house and bed since then. She gets out of bed only to eat and use the bathroom. Even conversations, bright lights or loud sounds can trigger a “crash” lasting days or, in severe cases, months. She has left the house just five times this year, the report said.

She now leaves home mainly for medical appointments and blood tests. Even conversations, bright lights and loud sounds can trigger a “crash” that lasts days or, in severe cases, months. She has left home just five times this year, according to the report.

What Is ME?

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ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), is a complex, chronic illness that can cause severe fatigue, pain, sleep disturbances and problems with thinking and memory. Symptoms do not improve simply with rest, and there is no established cure.

Dobbin rejects the term “chronic fatigue syndrome” because she believes it understates the severity of the condition.

“I wish it was just fatigue, that would be a walk in the park,” she said. “It's so much more than that. If I thought of fatigue in my top 20 symptoms it might just make the cut.”

She described the illness as feeling as though her entire body “is shutting down; it feels like you are a few days from death”.

More than 400,000 people in the UK are thought to have ME, although some estimates put the number above one million. The illness varies in severity, with some people continuing to work or study while others require extensive care.

Dobbin’s illness has also taken an emotional toll on her family.

“I'm just so desperate to help her but I can't because there is nothing. I'd take her anywhere, I'd take her to America if I had to, but there's nothing,” her father, Jim, said.

Beth Dobbin Aims To Raise ME Awareness

Dobbin describes her future as “very bleak” but hopes that greater awareness will lead to better treatment options.

The emergence of long COVID, which shares some symptoms with ME, has brought renewed attention to the illness and increased research funding.

She also wants to highlight the experiences of patients who are dismissed or disbelieved.

“A lot of people that have this illness that I've spoken to have said to me 'I don't get believed, people think I'm lazy'. I've never experienced one person that doesn't believe me and that's because, why would an athlete just suddenly stop after 20 years?”