Winter tends to be peak season for respiratory viruses, and this year is no different in the United States. People are getting sick with acute respiratory illnesses and visiting health care providers at high levels, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Seasonal flu levels are elevated across the country and increasing in many parts, while Covid-19 has also increased in most areas of the country.
Since many people are dealing with viruses in their households, I wanted to ask a physician what to do. Who should get tested and for which diseases? At what point should people see a health care professional for their symptoms? What over-the-counter treatments are helpful, and which ones are not? And before people get sick, what steps can they take to reduce their risk of contracting these diseases? To learn more, I turned to CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen.
Wen is an emergency physician and clinical associate professor at George Washington University. She previously was Baltimore’s health commissioner. CNN: When should someone who is sick get tested to learn what’s causing their symptoms? Dr.
Leana Wen: Most people with symptoms of respiratory illness do not need be tested. That’s because there are hundreds of viruses that can cause the common cold, and most healthy people with run-of-the-mill symptoms like a runny nose, congestion and fatigue don’t need testing to identify the type of virus or to distinguish between these viruses from.
