The COVID-19 pandemic has provided us with a stark example of the sheer morbidity, mortality, and economic losses that respiratory infections contribute to. Each year, viruses like the flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are responsible for extensive hospitalizations and deaths, in particular during the fall and winter months.
Respiratory viral infections, which infect cells of the respiratory tract, induce respiratory-related symptoms, and spread amongst individuals via respiratory secretions, are the most common infectious disease. They share numerous hallmarks, including common clinical features (fever, sore throat, congestion, and cough) and modes of transmission (contaminated surfaces, contact with others who are infected, and droplets or aerosols). So too, respiratory infections are associated with more severe disease in similar patient populations (kids and the elderly), facilitate secondary bacterial infections, and commonly cause outbreaks.
Clearly, the burden of disease associated with respiratory infections is extensive. Thankfully, however, steps can be taken to protect ourselves and others from the risks and complications associated with respiratory infections.
Stay up to date with your immunizations! Get your regular fall flu shot. Receive your booster dose against COVID-19. Find out whether you should get an RSV vaccine. By providing a snapshot of what a respiratory pathogen looks like to your immune system, vaccination can prepare to protect against it. It preemptively generates cells that would recognize the pathogen during actual instances of exposure, preventing severe infection.
Adhere to responsible hygiene practices! Cover up your coughs and sneezes to limit the spread of germs and thereby protect others. Wash your hands with soap, or alternatively with hand sanitizer, to wipe germs from your hands, thereby ensuring they cannot access your respiratory system when you touch your face. Ensure surfaces are cleaned, to limit spread via fomites.
Create and immerse yourself in environments with clean air! Germs are carried through the air in droplets and aerosols, and spread between individuals is thus exacerbated in indoor, population-dense environments lacking in airflow. Gathering outdoors, opening doors and windows, and cleaning indoor air with the use of filter technologies all help prevent the accumulation of pathogen particles in a manner that would facilitate germ spreading.
We can also take lessons related to disease prevention from the recent COVID-19 pandemic. We can wear masks, which act as a filter of sorts, decreasing the number of germs we inhale and breathe out, thereby protecting ourselves and others. We can also physically distance ourselves from others, in particular when we are aware of ourselves or others being sick with a respiratory infection. Given how respiratory droplets and aerosols linger in the air, maintaining a safe distance can decrease person to person spread.
We’ve recently progressed past one of the most defining moments of our time – a global pandemic that claimed millions of lives. If we are to take anything away from this respiratory pathogen-driven historical event, a lot is in our control with respect to the prevention of severe disease and extensive spreading. In order to minimize the spread (including to yourself), look into available vaccines, be mindful of hygiene and airflow, and consider masking up and socially distancing when appropriate!
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