Remember the fear about flu flare-ups over the holidays? Didn't happen, says CDC - Fox News

Ahead of the holidays, determination was fearfulness successful definite aesculapian circles that holiday gatherings among millions and millions of families crossed America would spark a unsafe surge successful respiratory diseases.

Now, caller U.S. authorities information suggests that was not the case.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that visits to doctors’ offices for flu-like illnesses fell for the sixth consecutive week.

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"Seasonal influenza enactment continues but is declining successful astir areas," the CDC wrote connected its website.

The CDC besides said that reports of RSV, a communal origin of cold-like symptoms that tin beryllium superior for infants and the elderly, are besides down.

Doctors disquieted up of the holidays that wintertime gatherings mightiness bring a surge of flu, RSV and COVID.  (iStock)

In the fall, erstwhile flu and RSV cases surged and caused overloads astatine pediatric exigency rooms, immoderate doctors feared wintertime mightiness bring a alleged tripledemic of flu, RSV and COVID-19. 

They were acrophobic that vacation gatherings mightiness beryllium the spark. But it seemingly did not occur. 

RSV hospitalizations person been going down since November — and flu hospitalizations are down, too.

"Right now, everything continues to decline," said the CDC’s Lynnette Brammer.

She leads the authorities agency’s tracking of flu successful the United States, according to the Associated Press.

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RSV hospitalizations person been going down since November — and flu hospitalizations are down, too.

Dr. Marc Siegel, a Fox News aesculapian contributor, told Fox News Digital connected Saturday morning, agreed that "there was immoderate immune pause" precocious for a assortment of reasons, including the caller "fierce lockdowns" successful Australia.

That doesn't mean immoderate radical haven't gotten sick. Plenty of families reported that astatine slightest 1 oregon much of their members came down with thing implicit the holidays aft radical get-togethers.

Some doctors accidental diligent postulation is easing up close now, portion immoderate inactive wonderment and interest astir what COVID-19 omicron subvariants mightiness bring. (iStock)

The concern is uneven crossed the country, the Associated Press reported — with immoderate areas seeing much illnesses than others. 

But immoderate doctors accidental diligent postulation is easing.

"It has truly eased up, considerably," Dr. Ethan Wiener, a pediatric ER doc astatine the Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital astatine NYU Langone in New York City, told the AP.

One doc said determination was an summation successful COVID-19 postulation astatine St. Louis Children’s successful December. But the concern was thing similar it was a twelvemonth ago, helium said.

Dr. Jason Newland, a pediatric infectious illness doc astatine St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri, besides told the outlet that "it has slowed down, tremendously."

Newland said helium wasn’t amazed that flu and RSV continued to inclination down successful caller weeks — but added, "The question is what was COVID going to do?"

COVID-19 hospitalizations roseate done December, including during the week aft Christmas, the CDC said.

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One acceptable of CDC information appears to amusement they started trending down aft New Year’s, though an bureau spokeswoman noted that different number indicates an uptick arsenic of past week. 

Because of reporting lags, it whitethorn beryllium a fewer weeks until CDC tin beryllium definite COVID-19 hospitalizations person truly started dropping, Newland told the AP.

A diligent talks to a doc successful the exam room. It makes consciousness that respiratory infections could rebound amid vacation question and gatherings — and it’s not precisely wide wherefore that didn’t happen, accidental wellness professionals. (iStock)

He besides said determination was an summation successful COVID-19 postulation astatine St. Louis Children’s successful December.

But helium noted the concern was thing similar it was a twelvemonth ago, erstwhile the then-new omicron variant was causing the largest nationalist surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations since the pandemic began.

"That was the worst," helium said.

This past week, Dr. Siegel besides told Fox News Digital that the comparatively caller COVID-19 omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 "is the astir easy transmissible subvariant truthful far."

He said that "it not lone binds good to cells, but it is besides the astir immunoevasive." Siegel is simply a prof of medicine astatine NYU Langone Medical Center successful New York City.

The CDC precocious revised downward its estimation of however overmuch XBB.1.5 is circulating successful the U.S.

The subvariant — nicknamed "Kraken" by immoderate — is spreading crossed the globe, too. 

Maria Van Kerkhove, Ph.D, method pb of the World Health Organization, said XBB.1.5 is "the astir transmissible subvariant that has been detected yet," WebMD reported.

Though this subvariant continues to dispersed astatine a faster gait than different versions of COVID-19 did, the CDC precocious revised downward its estimation of however overmuch XBB.1.5 is circulating successful the U.S.

Why RSV and flu surges apt faded

The autumn RSV and flu surge was felt astir acutely astatine wellness attraction centers for children. 

Wiener said the pediatric exigency section postulation astatine Hassenfeld was 50% supra mean levels successful October, November and December — "the highest volumes ever" for that clip of year, helium said, according to the AP.

Experts said it’s ever imaginable that a 2nd question of illnesses remains up ahead. (iStock)

The RSV and flu surges apt faded due to the fact that truthful galore members of the susceptible colonisation were infected "and it conscionable benignant of burnt itself out," helium said.

It makes consciousness that respiratory infections could rebound amid vacation question and gatherings — and it’s not precisely wide wherefore that didn’t happen, Brammer said.

With each that said, flu play isn’t over, the AP pointed out. 

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Thirty-six states are inactive reporting precocious oregon precise precocious levels of flu activity, it noted.

It’s ever imaginable that a 2nd question of illnesses remains up ahead, experts said.

Dr. Siegel said, "I deliberation we're implicit the worst" successful presumption of the flu successful the United States — though helium said that flu play does usually highest successful January.

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The CDC continues to urge that everyone "six months and older" get the flu vaccine.

"An yearly flu vaccine is the champion mode to support against flu. Vaccination helps forestall corruption and tin besides forestall superior outcomes successful radical who get vaccinated but inactive get sick with flu," the CDC says connected its website.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.