Whooping cough, parvovirus and COVID rates are surging. Here’s what might be fueling the rise.
Experts say it’s possible to get all three of the respiratory illnesses circulating right now. (Getty Images)
Summertime is usually associated with carefree fun and good health. But a recent wave of illnesses has this season feeling more like the dead of winter. That’s because three viruses are currently surging — COVID-19, fifth disease and whooping cough — making it feel like everyone is sick right now.
School being back in session in many parts of the country may make matters worse. “There may be increases in some of these infections because children are now going back to school and will be in close quarters together,” Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life.
So what’s driving these waves of illnesses and, more important, how can you protect yourself? Infectious disease experts explain.
We’re still riding a summer COVID wave
COVID-19 cases, fueled by the FLiRT variants, have been steadily increasing in the U.S. nearly all summer. There are a few things driving this COVID wave, Emily Smith, an epidemiologist and an assistant professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, tells Yahoo Life. “Lots of folks are traveling for end-of-summer fun, and many kids are heading back to school. … This is helping COVID to spread quickly,” she says. “Second, our individual and population-level immunity has waned; it’s been a while since most of us got vaccinated or got COVID.”
Another factor: To escape the summer heat, many people have been spending time in air-conditioned indoor spaces, which makes transmission easier. The newest variants circulating in the country are also “very, very contagious,” Schaffner says. “They’re spreading very easily — and we are providing them opportunities to spread.”
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Rising cases of fifth disease prompted a CDC health alert
Cases of fifth disease, aka parvovirus B19, are increasing in the U.S., according to a health alert recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fifth disease is a common childhood illness spread through respiratory droplets and about 50% of people will have it by the time they’re 20, Schaffner says. Once you have the virus, you develop antibodies and immunity that protects you from future infection, he explains.
Fifth disease can have no symptoms or it can have flu-like symptoms, along with a characteristic “slapped cheek” rash that causes redness in the face, per the CDC. Fifth disease generally causes mild illness or no symptoms in adults, but it can be dangerous for pregnant people, leading to pregnancy loss in rare cases.
While the U.S. has seen plenty of increases in cases of fifth disease in the past, the COVID-19 pandemic may have fueled this most recent rise, Dr. Mark Hicar, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in New York, tells Yahoo Life. “The period of social distancing and more strict masking we experienced may have changed the natural spreading of this virus during the pandemic and may be contributing to this,” he said.
Because of that, people who would have been exposed to the virus over the past few years if there weren’t a pandemic are now vulnerable. That could be fueling the spread, Schaffner says.
Whooping cough cases are 3 times higher than they were last year
Whooping cough, aka pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes intense coughing fits, per the CDC. “It tends to be an annoying illness for those with normal immune systems but can be deadly if a young infant is infected,” Hicar says.
CDC data show that there have been 10,865 recorded cases of whooping cough compared with the 2,918 cases recorded at the same time last year.
While pertussis is covered in the routine childhood vaccination schedule, some children still aren’t up to date on their vaccinations after the pandemic — and that could be fueling the spread, Schaffner says. Adults also have immunity that wanes with time, which is why the CDC recommends that those 19 and older get a booster shot every 10 years.
How to protect yourself going forward
It’s important to note that the three viruses circulating are different and, with that, the prevention strategies for each are slightly different. However, there is some overlap.
- Get up to date on vaccines. When the updated COVID-19 vaccine is released, which could be as soon as by Labor Day, Hicar suggests getting it. He also recommends being up to date on other vaccinations, including the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine. “Adults need Tdap boosters every 10 years to protect from tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, and particularly pregnant women should have this with each pregnancy to give protection to their infants,” he says. There is no vaccine to protect against fifth disease.
- Practice good hand hygiene and wear a mask. Careful hand hygiene and doing your best to avoid people who are obviously ill may help lower your risk of fifth disease, along with wearing masks in crowded indoor settings, Hicar says. This will also help to protect against COVID-19, he points out. Smith echoes wearing a high-quality mask for protection, “so you might consider doing that when you’re around a lot of people or traveling,” she says.
- Get some fresh air. Smith says that ensuring good ventilation “helps reduce the spread of these respiratory bugs, so open the windows and move your play dates outside when you can.”
As we head into fall and these illnesses continue to circulate, Hicar recommends keeping this in mind too: “It is possible to get all three of these illnesses, even at the same time. None of these infections share cross-immunity with the others.”
