NBC News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar joins TODAY to talk about how you can protect yourself from winter viruses, including the flu, COVID, RSV and norovirus. She breaks down how to tell the difference between each, tips to stay safe and more.
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#health #sick #winter
>> WE HAVE A SOCCER TOURNAMENT THIS WEEKEND. >> WHERE? LOCAL? >> NOT IN MINNEAPOLIS. >> THIS TIME OF YEAR TEMPERATURES DROPPING, AS WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. WE’LL SPEND MORE TIME INDOORS GOING TO HOLIDAY PARTIES. THAT’S THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR VIRUSES TO SPREAD. WE BROUGHT IN MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. NATALIE AZAR TO HELP US STAY SAFE THIS WINTER. ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE YOU. >> GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL. >> BIG PICTURE, WHAT’S GOING ON WITH FLU, COVID, RSV, NOROVIRUS. >> WE HAVE THREE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS CIRCULATING AND THE NOROVIRUS. >> THE WORST OF THEM ALL. >> IT IS THE WORST OF THEM. I ALWAYS SAY THAT. EVERYTHING ELSE YOU CAN KIND OF WORK THROUGH. NOROVIRUS THAT WILL TAKE OUT ANYONE. SO FLU, WE HAVE CASES RISING AROUND THE COUNTRY. HOT SPOTS RIGHT NOW ARE COLORADO, LOUISIANA AND RIGHT HERE IN NEW YORK CITY. YOUNG ADULTS AND CHILDREN BEING HIT THE HARDEST. COVID CASES KIND OF ON THE LOW SIDE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY BUT HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS ARE INCREASING. RSV EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS ARE INCREASING. A LOT OF CASES IN THE SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHERN AREAS, AGAIN, THE YOUNG, YOUNG KIDS AND OLDER INDIVIDUALS MOST AT RISK. AND THEN NOROVIRUS, WE’VE HAD 15 OUTBREAKS SO FAR THIS SEASON. THE NOTORIOUS NOROVIRUS. >> WHENEVER MY KIDS ARE SICK, I BRING THEM TO THE DOCTOR. THERE’S NOTHING WE CAN GIVE YOU BECAUSE IT’S A VIRUS. YOU HAVE TO WAIT IT OUT. IS IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHICH VIRUS YOU HAVE WHETHER IT’S FLU OR — >> YES. YES, IT IS. A LOT OF TIMES, AND WE’VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE PAST, HOW CAN YOU TELL A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALL OF THESE THINGS. THINK OF IT THIS WAY. A REALLY BAD COLD, IT’S GOING TO BE FROM YOUR NECK UP. THE COLD GENERALLY DOESN’T CAUSE ALL OF THESE SYSTEMIC SYSTEMS. THE FLU, THIS IS THE CLASSIC, I’M FEELING FINE AND THEN I GOT HIT BY A TRUCK. ACHES AND PAINS AND FEVER ALONG WITH RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS. COVID, SOME SHORTNESS OF BREATH, LOSS OF TASTE AND SMELL IS STILL ASSOCIATED WITH COVID. OF COURSE NOROVIRUS IS GOING TO BE NAUSEA, VOMITING AND DIARRHEA AS WELL AS LOW GRADE FEVER AND ACHES. RSV THE CLASSIC SYMPTOM THERE IN PEOPLE WHO DEVELOP, ESPECIALLY KIDS, IS WHEEZING. SO YOU CAN HAVE UPPER RESPIRATORY NASAL CONGESTION BUT THEN IT’S THE WHEEZING AND DIFFICULTY BREATHING. >> YOU CAN TREAT THEM ALL DIFFERENTLY? >> THEY’RE TREATED DIFFERENTLY. RSV THERE’S NO ANTIVIRAL. NOROVIRUS NO ANTIVIRAL. FLU AND COVID BOTH HAVE TAMIFLU FOR HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS. >> EVERY YEAR TRYING TO GUESS WHICH SHOT WILL BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE, WHAT ABOUT THIS YEAR, AND IS IT TOO LATE TO GET A SHOT? >> RIGHT. THE SECOND PART, NOT TOO LATE. I’M GOING TO SAY IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO GET YOUR FLU SHOT WELL INTO FEBRUARY IN ALL LIKELIHOOD. THE REASON FOR THAT, WE ANTICIPATE THREE POTENTIAL STRAINS OF FLU CIRCULATING. RIGHT NOW WE’RE SEEING THAT H3N2. THAT’S A FLU A STRAIN. WE OFTEN WILL SEE A SPIKE OF INFLUENZA B. SO, GUESS WHAT, EVEN IF YOU GET FLU EARLY IN THE SEASON, YOU CAN STILL GET ANOTHER STRAIN LATER IN THE SEASON. SO IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO GET VACCINATED. H3N2 IS A LITTLE BIT OF A MUTATED STRAIN THAT IS COVERED IN THIS YEAR’S VIRUS. WHAT THAT MEANS IS IT’S NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU AS GOOD — THE VACCINE WILL NOT GIVE YOU AS GOOD PROTECTION AGAINST GETTING THE FLU BUT IT WILL STILL PROTECT YOU FROM SEVERE ILLNESS. WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION A LOT DURING THE COVID YEARS ABOUT THE FACT THAT VACCINATION MAY NOT PROTECT YOU FROM GETTING SICK, BUT THERE’S A DIFFERENT PART OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM THAT KICKS IN AFTER VACCINATION THAT PREVENTS YOU FROM GETTING SEVERELY ILL. >>
