WP Perspectives – November 28, 2022

Six Easy Steps . . .

The coronavirus threat that kept many home the last two holiday seasons isn’t gone, and it’s joined by more respiratory illnesses like the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that are sending people to the hospital this year. … Michelle Barron, senior medical director of infection prevention at UC Health in Colorado, said this time of year often brings norovirus outbreaks as well.

“People have been talking about the ‘tripledemic’” — referring to COVID, flu and RSV, a common virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms — “I’m like no, this is just the season of grossness,” she said.

Six simple steps can help keep you and your family healthier as you visit friends and family during the holidays.

1 – Vaccinate for flu and COVID-19. Unfortunately there is still no vaccine for RSV.

2 – Be cautious. Stay home and/or away from crowds for a week before you travel or visit people who may be more vulnerable to illness.

3 – Mask while traveling/in crowds. Yes, it's no longer required by law, but be that person who takes the extra step for others.

4 – Wash. Are you washing your hands less than at the peak of the pandemic? Pick it back up!

5 – Test. Test for coronavirus three days before traveling and on the day of travel as a precaution.

6 – Bow out. If you aren't feeling your best or have symptoms, bow out. Don't be that person who makes everyone around you sick.

Washington Post 11/23/22. For details, read the article.

World AIDS Day is December 1 of every year, when we show support for people living with HIV and remember those we lost in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We also strengthen our resolve to end HIV.

Equity. The 2022 theme for World AIDS Day is “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV.” Many still experience inequalities when accessing basic health services. Not everyone has the same opportunity for HIV testing, treatment, and even condoms. This is even truer for newer technologies, such as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP for HIV is medicine given that prevents HIV.

We identified the first cases of HIV more than 40 years ago. Yet, there are many who do not know basic facts about HIV. Many do not know how to protect themselves and others from HIV. Stigma and discrimination remain a reality for many living with HIV.

West Piedmont Health District offers confidential AIDS/HIV Testing. Contact your local health department for times and appointments.

Dr. Anthony Fauci recently appeared at his final White House press briefing, as he prepares to leave government next month following a half-century on the front lines of the world's gravest public health crises.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said “the final message I give you from this podium is that please, for your own safety, for that of your family, get your updated Covid-19 shot as soon as you’re eligible.”

…he said that he eventually expects the virus to reach low levels in the U.S., but how soon we get there depends on how many people continue to get vaccinated and boosted.

“We can get there with less suffering if we use the interventions that we have,” Fauci said. “If you want to let nature take its course, we’re ultimately going to get there but we’re going to loose a lot more people than we need to.”  NBC Right Now 11/22/22

Read more.