4 viruses circulating in Michigan are fueling "quad-demic" of winter illnesses
(CBS DETROIT) — A lot of people have been sick in Michigan this winter – and there's more than one illness going around.
Dr. Lea Monday, infectious disease expert at Detroit Medical Center, spoke with CBS Detroit's Meredith Bruckner to explain the situation and some best practices for dealing with an illness in the family.
Influenza is known to be a seasonal illness, but it's not the only scenario this winter. There are in fact four viruses known to spreading.
"This 'quad-demic' is sort of this really tweetable term for our normal winter viruses: flu covid and RSV; and then a little bit of a wild card this year, we're seeing some higher numbers than usual another virus called norovirus, which is sometimes referred to as stomach flu," Monday said.
The symptoms of the respiratory illnesses are often similar.
"You actually can't tell a lot of the time what you have until you get tested," she said.
Vaccines are available to help prevent serious cases of those ailments, she added. That being said, norovirus stands out as it is a gastrointestinal disease.
"It sort of comes out of nowhere," Monday said, describing symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. Then, "by two or three days later, it's gone."
The complication with norovirus is that it is a "very hardy virus." Hand sanitizer doesn't help. The practical advice she gave includes hand washing with soap, cleaning with bleach wipes and washing someone's clothing separately from other laundry.
And as of yet, there is no vaccine for norovirus.