Unlikely Triple-Epidemic in 2023 Says US CDC

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that fall 2023 respiratory hospitalization 'triple-demic' may not actually occur this year.

On October 26, 2023, the CDC stated it continues to anticipate that the upcoming fall and winter respiratory disease season will likely result in a similar number of hospitalizations as last season.

The CDC wrote .....We continue to have low-to-moderate confidence in this assessment due to uncertainties anticipating the timing and levels of peak disease activity. As of October 20, 2023, respiratory virus activity in the U.S. is low nationally.

Although COVID-19 activity continues to decline in many areas of the United States and globally, it remains the cause of most new respiratory virus hospitalizations and deaths.

Additionally, sustained increases in RSV activity in the southern U.S. indicate the start of the 2023-2024 RSV season, with the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions also experiencing elevated activity.

RSV activity remains in line with normal seasonal patterns before the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Furthermore, influenza activity remains low in most areas of the country, but small increases were reported in some places.

According to recent influenza outbreak modeling by the Scenario Modeling Hub, influenza hospitalizations will likely fall within the range observed from 2010 – 2020.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) recent report indicates the CDC's revised forecast is on-target. On October 16, 2023, the WHO published Influenza Update N° 456, showing that influenza and RSV detections remained low globally.

According to the CDC, vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against serious disease outcomes. As of October 30, 2023, various flu shots and other vaccines are generally available at health clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.