Sick? It may not be the flu, as experts say this virus is spreading

Key Points:

• Infectious disease expert Dr. Emily Landon from UChicago Medicine states that many people feeling sick at home likely have rhino enterovirus, not the flu, as this virus is currently spreading rapidly.
• Although flu season started earlier than usual with higher-than-typical October numbers, flu cases remain low overall and are expected to peak in January in Chicago.
• Rhino and enteroviruses, which cause the common cold, share symptoms similar to the flu, making it difficult to distinguish between them initially; however, flu tends to cause more severe symptoms like coughing and higher fevers.
• Flu vaccines take about two weeks to become fully effective, and despite uncertainty about strain matching, experts emphasize the importance of vaccination to protect against severe illness, especially given the predominance of milder H1N1 influenza A cases this season.
• COVID-19 cases are currently declining after a late summer increase, while flu and COVID levels are slightly higher than usual for this time of year, according to local medical centers.