United States: RSV virus levels are increasing in Illinois, according to state public health assessments. However, flu and COVID symptoms remain hard to distinguish from each other, along with those of RSV infections.
More about the news
Dr. Sharon Welbel from Cook County Health reports that current emergency room visits remain at a high level each day.
“Actually higher in this last week than it was in the week prior,” Webel added.
“We are seeing a lot of people who are particularly ill, including young people,” Webel continued.
Statistics from IDPH indicate that flu infections reach their peak in persons who are aged 5 to 17 years, nbcchicago.com reported.
Flu, COVID, RSV symptoms: What to know as Illinois sees ‘notable increase' in viruses@nbcchicago https://t.co/Xb3tnyy4k2
— Kate Chappell (@kchappellnews) February 4, 2025
What more are the authorities stating?
As of January 25, the weekly hospital visits showed that flu is spreading around “more widely” than other respiratory diseases, as per the IDPH, where “three times” as many admissions for flu as there are for COVID and RSV.
“We are seeing sustained, high levels of influenza,” Welbel continued.
The health officials said that a total of five pediatric deaths have been recorded in Illinois, and three succumbed to COVID while one child died from RSV.
“These deaths are a stark reminder of the importance of vaccinations for children and of the risk of serious illness from these largely preventable seasonal illnesses,” the IDPH added.
IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra issued a news release urging people who experience respiratory illness symptoms to seek testing at the beginning of their illness period when they have serious illness risks or wish to avoid transmission to vulnerable individuals, nbcchicago.com reported.
Symptoms of each circulating virus
COVID Symptoms:
As of now, the symptoms of COVID remain the same as before:
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Altered sense of smell
- Congestion
- Fever or chills
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
RSV Symptoms:
As per the CDC, people infected with RSV usually exhibit symptoms within 4 to 6 days after getting infected. The common ones are:
- Runny nose
- Congestion
- Decrease in appetite
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Fever
The onset of RSV symptoms occurs through different stages without simultaneous presentations.
Signs typically display more prominently among adult patients than among infants, even though the infection occurs.
RSV infection leads to mild cold-like symptoms in most cases yet triggers severe illness forms such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia in some patients.