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Following from: https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/contagious-virus-sparks-nationwide-tripledemic-threat-for-brits-this-winter/

'Contagious' virus sparks nationwide 'tripledemic' threat for Brits this winter

Along with Covid-19 and flu, people are being warned about a "highly contagious" respiratory virus on the rise this winter

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26 November 2022

By Suruchi Sharma Diwan

TAKE NOTE: The respiratory illness is potentially life-threatening to babies and children (Photo by Getty)

By Jacob Paul

An infectious virus that is particularly dangerous to children has led to fears about a possible 'tripledemic' this winter.

Health professionals have previously mentioned that an increase in the number of cases of the flu and Covid-19 could trigger a 'twindemic'. A third virus has now been added to the mix, which has sparked concerns.

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This winter, the common respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which often causes mild, cold-like symptoms, is threatening to surface. Fortunately, it rarely causes significant issues, but The Express notes that in infants, the elderly, and other susceptible individuals, it can lead to pneumonia and swelling of the airways.

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It is alarmingly the main reason for infant hospitalisations in the UK, and nearly a third of children under five who had respiratory symptoms and had their throats swabbed as part of UKHSA surveillance were positive. Because of this, it warrants greater concern than the other two diseases that make up the 'tripledemic'.

Professor Francois Balloux, director at the UCL Genetics Institute, told The Express: "RSV is a leading cause of child hospitalisation and the virus kills more than 100,000 children each year globally. That’s more than 50 times as many children than those who died from Covid throughout the pandemic.

"It’s a far bigger threat to young children than Covid or seasonal flu. RSV is highly contagious and the majority of children experience an RSV infection before the age of two.

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common illness that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms (Photo by Getty Images/Tetra images RF)

"It’s not obvious that its spread can be suppressed without enforcing highly disruptive measures. There is hope RSV child hospitalisations and deaths will decrease in the future with new RSV vaccines being rolled out soon."

Around 7.4 per cent of the population is currently thought to have RSV, according to data from the UKHSA, which also claims that around one in three children under five has the virus. And currently, around two million people are thought to have Covid.

Naturally, this has raised concerns about a 'tripledemic', however an expert has been quick to dismiss any concerns. The Institute of Health Informatics and UCL professor Amitava Banerjee said: "In my view the word 'tripledemic' is just the latest soundbite and we do not necessarily know that RSV will be as big a threat.

"I think far greater potential threats to the NHS is due to chronic underfunding, chronic understaffing and the indirect and long-term effects of Covid."