Got the sniffles? Here's what to know about summer colds, COVID-19 and more
The three may not go together in many people's minds: partly owing to common myths about germs and partly because many viruses really do have lower activity levels in the summer.
But it is possible to get the sniffles — or worse — in the summer. Federal data released Friday, for example, shows COVID-19 is trending up in many parts of the country, with emergency department visits up among people of all ages.
Here's what to know about summer viruses.
How much are colds and flu circulating right now?
The number of people seeking medical care for three key illnesses — COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV — is currently low, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Flu is trending down and RSV was steady this week. But COVID-19 is trending up in many mid-Atlantic, southeast, Southern and West Coast states.
The expectation is that COVID-19 will eventually settle into a winter seasonal pattern like other coronaviruses, but the past few years have brought a late summer surge, said Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at University of California Davis Children's Hospital.
Other viruses circulating this time of year include the one that causes 'hand, foot and mouth' disease — which has symptoms similar to a cold, plus sores and rashes — and norovirus, sometimes called the stomach flu.
Do viruses spread less in the summer?
Many viruses circulate seasonally, picking up as the weather cools in the fall and winter. So it's true that fewer people get stuffy noses and coughs in the summer — but cold weather itself does not cause colds.
It's not just about seasonality. The other factor is our behavior, experts say. Nice weather means people are opening windows and gathering outside where it's harder for germs to spread.
But respiratory viruses are still around. When the weather gets too hot and everyone heads inside for the air conditioning, doctors say they start seeing more sickness. In places where it gets really hot for a long time, summer can be cold season in its own right.
'I grew up on the East Coast and everybody gets sick in the winter,' said Dr. Frank LoVecchio, an emergency room doctor and Arizona State University researcher. 'A lot of people get sick in the summer here. Why is that? Because you spend more time indoors.'
Should you get another COVID-19 booster now?
For people who are otherwise healthy, timing is a key consideration to getting any vaccine. You want to get it a few weeks before that big trip or wedding, if that's the reason for getting boosted, doctors say. But, for most people, it may be worth waiting until the fall in anticipation of winter cases of COVID-19 really tick up.
'You want to be fully protected at the time that it's most important for you,' said Dr. Costi Sifri, of the University of Virginia Health System.
People at higher risk of complications should always talk with their doctor about what is best for them, Sifri added. Older adults and those with weak immune systems may need more boosters than others, he said.
Are more younger kids getting sick with COVID-19?
Last week, the CDC noted emergency room visits among children younger than 4 were rising. That makes sense, Blumberg said, because many young kids are getting it for the first time or are unvaccinated.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in May that the shots would no longer be recommended for healthy kids, a decision that health experts have said lacks scientific basis. The American Academy of Pediatrics still endorses COVID-19 shots for children older than 6 months.
How else can I lower my risk?
The same things that help prevent colds, flu and COVID any other time of the year work in the summer, doctors say.
Spend time outside when you can, wash your hands, wear a mask. And if you're sick, stay home.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
17 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Long Covid: symptoms, treatment
Scientists believe that cats may hold the key to developing a new treatment for Long Covid 🐈 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scientists at the University of California, Davis have been researching how cats can help patients with Long Covid. An estimated 1.9 million people in the UK live with Long Covid. Fatigue is the most common symptom. Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have been researching how cats can help patients with Long Covid. An estimated 1.9 million people in the UK live with Long Covid, which can leave patients with debilitating symptoms including fatigue, breathlessness, and brain fog. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The new research is looking at how the treatment of a similar illness in cats can help pave the way for new treatments for Long Covid in humans. Amir Kol, associate professor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, said: 'It's important to understand that many pets suffer from diseases that are similar to human diseases. 'Veterinary medicine is a wonderful platform to conduct translational science that helps both pets and humans.' For some people, the symptoms of Covid can persist. | Pexels, Tima Miroshnichenko What is Long Covid? Long Covid, also known as Post-Covid Syndrome, is a new condition that is still being studied. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Most people who have Covid will feel better in a few days or weeks and make a full recovery after 12 weeks. However, for some people, Covid symptoms continue and can have a big impact on their lives. What are the signs and symptoms of Long Covid? Long Covid can affect people of all ages; the most common symptoms can include extreme tiredness, feeling short of breath, muscle aches, difficulty concentrating, and joint pain. According to the NHS, the most common symptoms of long COVID are: extreme tiredness (fatigue) feeling short of breath problems with your memory and concentration ("brain fog") heart palpitations dizziness joint pain and muscle aches Other persisting symptoms can include: Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad loss of smell chest pain or tightness difficulty sleeping (insomnia) pins and needles depression and anxiety tinnitus, earaches feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste rashes How long does Long Covid last? For most people, the symptoms of Covid will get better within days to weeks; however, for others, they can persist. Long Covid symptoms can continue for weeks, months, or even years after the initial Covid infection. What are the treatment options for Long Covid? The NHS offers treatment centres for people who think they may have Long Covid. These multidisciplinary clinics offer physical, cognitive, and psychological assessments, diagnostic tests, and management or appropriate onward referral for rehabilitation, and other support. If you think you may be experiencing Long Covid, talk to your GP to find out if you meet the criteria and can be referred to a Long Covid Clinic. How can cats help with Long Covid? Scientists at the University of California, Davis, believe that cats may be able to offer us insight on how to help patients with Long Covid. Feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, is a serious disease found in cats caused by Coronavirus. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Up until recently, FIP was fatal in cats, but thanks to a new antiviral agent, many cats now recover. Scientists have found that some of the cats who recover from FIP still have enlarged lymph nodes, indicating that their immune systems are overworking, which is something that people with Long Covid can experience. They found that using antivirals along with infusions of MSCs helped some of the cats' immune systems recover compared to those that had antivirals alone. Kol said: 'Our findings support the idea that FIP in cats is a useful model for studying long-term immune problems after a viral infection — something that also happens in some people after illnesses like COVID-19. It shows that MSC therapy might not only reduce short-term inflammation but help bring the immune system back into lasting balance.' The findings could help scientists understand if a similar approach could help with viruses in humans, such as Long Covid. The last thing you'd want this summer is to catch Covid on your holiday. This is how to avoid catching Covid or the flu on a plane.
Medical News Today
3 hours ago
- Medical News Today
Might a combination of 2 cancer drugs help treat Alzheimer's disease?
Researchers are actively seeking treatments or a cure for Alzheimer's diseaseOne current research avenue is to look at currently-approved medications that are used for other diseases, an approach that is called drug repurposing. A new study has identified two cancer medications that may help overturn brain changes caused by Alzheimer's disease, possibly slowing or even reversing the disease's symptoms. Researchers all over the world are actively seeking treatments or a cure for Alzheimer's disease — a form of dementia currently impacting about 32 million people globally. The medications used right now for Alzheimer's disease are designed to only help treat symptoms and slow disease progression. One avenue scientists are taking in an effort to find treatments for Alzheimer's disease is by looking at currently-approved medications that are used for other diseases, an approach called drug repurposing. 'The idea of drug repurposing or identifying new uses for existing drugs, can speed up the drug discovery process because the compounds already have been tested for toxicity and adverse events,' Marina Sirota, PhD, professor and interim director of the University of California — San Francisco Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute explained to Medical News Today.'Alzheimer's disease is a complex disease, which is very difficult to treat so we need to use all the tools possible to speed up drug discovery and help patients,' said SirotaSirota is the co-senior author of a new study recently published in the journal Cellthat has identified two cancer medications that may help overturn brain changes caused by Alzheimer's disease, possibly slowing or even reversing the disease's symptoms. Focusing on cancer drugs letrozole and irinotecanFor this study, researchers began by using past studies to assess how Alzheimer's disease changed gene expression in brain cells, mainly neurons and glia. 'Glia cells are non-neuronal cells that provide support and protection to neurons in the nervous system,' Sirota explained. 'By targeting both neuronal cells and non-neuronal cells (glia) we hope to be able to more comprehensively target disease pathophysiology.' From there, scientists then took the gene expression signatures they found and used a database called the ConnectivityMap, allowing them to examine thousands of drugs to find ones that reversed the Alzheimer's disease gene expression signature.'We started with a set of 1,300 drugs and narrowed it down to the combination of letrozole and irinotecan through data driven analysis using both molecular and clinical data,' Sirota said.'We first identified compounds that reversed the cell type specific disease signatures back to normal based on the gene expression profiles. We then further filtered the list to the candidates that affect several cell types,' she explained.'Then we wanted to see whether patients who are on those drugs already have a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease by querying electronic medical records across the UC system,' she continued. 'This has allowed us to narrow our list down to a handful of drugs and focus on this combination.' The analysis of electronic medical records did indeed show that both drugs were associated with a significantly lower risk of Alzheimer's disease, confirming the of cancer drugs reverses brain cell damage, reduces protein build-up in mouse modelNext, researchers decided to test the combination of letrozole — used to treat breast cancer — and irinotecan — used to treat colorectal and lung cancer — in a mouse model of aggressive Alzheimer's disease. At the study's conclusion, Sirota and her team found that the drug combination overturned multiple aspects of Alzheimer's disease in the mouse model, including undoing the gene expression signature changes in the neurons and glia caused by the disease. Additionally, researchers found the combination cancer drugs helped reduce the amount of amyloid-beta and tau proteins in the brain, which are known hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. 'This tells us that multiple levels of evidence — molecular data, clinical information and mouse model experiments are all aligning to tell us that these compounds might be helpful for Alzheimer's disease patients,' Sirota further noted that:'While we don't know the exact mechanism of how these drugs work to treat Alzheimer's disease, we know that irinotecan is a chemotherapy drug that works by inhibiting the enzyme DNA topoisomerase I, specifically targeting the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. Letrozole's mechanism of action involves inhibiting the enzyme aromatase, which is crucial in the biosynthesis of estrogen.''However, we don't know whether it is the main aforementioned mechanisms or off-target effects of these drugs which might help Alzheimer's disease patients,' Sirota cautioned. 'Additional experiments need to be carried out to better understand how these two drugs might work together to combat Alzheimer's disease in patients.'Using 'big data' and inventive approaches to find potential Alzheimer's drug targetsMNT had the opportunity to speak with John Dickson, MD, PhD, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, about this research. 'This is an interesting and innovative paper that uses 'big data' to aid in identifying potential drug targets to treat Alzheimer's disease and then tests candidates in a preclinical model of Alzheimer's disease,' Dickson, who was not involved in this research, said.'Combining the use of transcriptomic data from brain tissue from Alzheimer's disease patients, drug perturbation studies in cell lines, and patient data from electronic medical records was an inventive approach to identifying and narrowing down potential drug targets,' he Dickson's view, 'the decision to use a dual-therapy approach and plan to target multiple cell types with this strategy was also innovative.''The combination of drugs showed beneficial effects on the memory testing and neuropathological findings in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. In addition to identifying two potential candidate therapies for Alzheimer's disease, this paper also provides an experimental paradigm for identifying new drugs to treat a variety of conditions,' he look at repurposing existing drugs for Alzheimer's treatment? MNT also talked to Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, about this study, who said it is refreshing to see data that supports improving memory loss through a novel mechanism that is not related to current therapies that work on brain acetylcholine, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), or amyloid.'This study's design is smart and the data is captivating,' Segil, who likewise was not involved in the research, added. 'Repurposing medications already being used has been extremely rewarding in neurologists and I truly hope something grows out of this research.' And Peter Gliebus, MD, neurologist and director of cognitive and behavioral neurology at Marcus Neuroscience Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, also not involved in the research, commented to MNT that this was a promising and exciting study, and said that repurposing existing drugs offers several advantages. 'Faster development since these drugs already have established safety profiles, which reduces the time and cost required for clinical trials,' Gliebus noted.'Cost-effectiveness [is achieved] by avoiding the high expenses associated with developing new drugs from scratch. And [this approach has] a broader impact, as many existing drugs may have unexplored mechanisms that could address complex Alzheimer's disease pathologies, such as neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction, and metabolic deficits.''Given the high failure rate of Alzheimer's drug trials, repurposing provides a practical and efficient pathway to identify effective treatments,' the neurologist concluded.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
The science-backed exercise method that can help fight the effects of ageing
At 10 years old, Danny Matranga wanted to be a basketball player, devoting countless hours to honing his skills and developing his athleticism. That was also the year his father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. 'I had this contrast, seeing what it's like to lose your physical function, then also experiencing my own journey of gaining more physical function. It became apparent to me that exercise was much more than just a tool for athleticism and aesthetics,' Matranga explains. 'I said, 'You know what? I cannot save my dad, I cannot fix this, but I can hopefully empower other people to not only develop their body, but also protect against disease.' For this reason, he became a personal trainer, choosing to specialise in strength training due to the emerging research around its benefits for both body and brain. Since then, further studies have cemented this training method's status as a top option for those looking to exercise for health, longevity and maintaining physical function. This is why it is believed by many, Matranga among them, to be the most important type of exercise you can do to live well into your later years. Read on to find out more about the science-backed benefits, and how to get started. First things first: all exercise is good Just because strength training is framed as 'the best' here, that doesn't mean other types of exercise are without merit. Any physical activity you do is highly likely to provide myriad benefits – movement truly is medicine. A 2011 study published in The Lancet monitored the medical screenings of 416,175 people over the course of 12 years, then split participants into one of five activity level groups: inactive, low, medium, high or very high. Those in the low activity group completed an average of roughly 15 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per day, but this accessible figure still saw them record a three-year longer life expectancy than those in the inactive group. 'Every additional 15 minutes of daily exercise beyond the minimum amount of 15 minutes a day further reduced all-cause mortality by 4 per cent and all-cancer mortality by 1 per cent,' the study states. Moderate-intensity exercise is any form of activity that elevates your heart rate and has you breathing harder, but still allows you to hold a conversation – be that strength training, walking, running, cycling or otherwise. Strength training, however, has a whole host of bonus benefits that make it a wise use of your time – particularly when viewed through a longevity lens. The bonus benefits of strength training, especially as you age Sarcopenia and dynapenia refer to the age-related loss of muscle mass and muscle strength or function. According to a review published in the Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 'muscle mass decreases by approximately 3 to 8 per cent per decade after the age of 30, and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60'. Further possible effects of sarcopenia and dynapenia include an increased risk of falls and reduced physical capacity, as well as a consequent increase in fat mass, decreased bone density, increased joint stiffness and 'increased incidence of insulin resistance in the elderly', the review later adds. 'All these changes have probable implications for several conditions, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and osteoporosis,' it concludes. Strength training, which bolsters muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments while also improving balance, coordination and heart health, is the natural antidote. The Live Active Successful Ageing study, published in the British Medical Journal Open Sport and Exercise Medicine journal in 2024, explored the long-term effects of strength training – otherwise known as resistance training – on adults at retirement age. Hundreds of participants were placed in one of three groups: those put through a year of supervised resistance training with heavy loads (relative to the individual's strength level), those tasked with completing regular moderate-intensity training, and a non-exercising control group. Four years on, 369 participants returned for an assessment – the average age was 71 years, and 61 per cent were women. Those who lifted heavy weights still had higher strength levels then before they started the programme, whereas the other two groups saw a decrease. They also maintained higher levels of lean body mass (or muscle) than the other two groups. The study concluded: 'In well-functioning older adults at retirement age, one year of heavy resistance may induce long-lasting beneficial effects by preserving muscle function.' Another 2023 study published in the GeroScience journal linked twice-weekly strength training sessions, performed for 12 weeks, to positive effects on cognitive health in adults aged between 60 and 80. It states: 'Findings suggest that resistance training seems to elicit alterations in various neurometabolites that correspond to exercise-induced 'preservation' of brain health, while simultaneously having its beneficial effect on augmenting muscle functional characteristics in older adults.' In short: it's good for both your mind and body, helping maintain physical and mental function as you age. How to start strength training Whatever age you are, and whatever age you start, strength training will deliver significant benefits if performed correctly. To illustrate this point, Matranga spins his camera around during our Zoom interview to reveal a woman in her eighties performing textbook Romanian deadlifts in his fitness studio. 'It's actually unbelievable what she can do – it's not normal, but it's normal for us here,' he tells me. 'It still blows my mind. We're seeing all of this research that's just now coming out, and I think, 'Hey, if you want samples of well-ageing adults, they're right here in the gym.' I feel like the research is starting to echo what I've been seeing for a long time, so I really want to encourage more people to start strength training.' Rather than jumping straight into a hardcore training plan, he recommends starting with one or two full-body sessions per week – 'You're only going to make progress equal to the amount of work you can recover from, and a new exerciser can't recover from an advanced routine. We want to start at a level that is appropriate for our fitness level, and it only takes two days a week to change your life.' Workouts can take as little as 20 minutes and comprise just four moves, Matranga adds. 'When you're a novice, you can go into the gym and do a pushing exercise and a pulling exercise [like a chest press and a bent-over row] for your upper body, something like a squat for the front of your legs, something like a deadlift for the back of your legs, and then you can walk away after four exercises having trained every single muscle in your body,' he says. To begin with, you can use the workout below twice per week to work your whole body with just a couple of dumbbells. Practice the exercises without weights at first to reinforce favourable form, then work up to a weight that challenges you when completing the target number of repetitions. The key pillars of successful strength training It is helpful to work with a trainer when you first start strength training. This can allow you to perfect your form for each exercise – like any physical activity, lifting weights is a skill that needs to be learned. Beyond this, there are a few fundamentals that need to be present for this pursuit to be successful. Consistency: The body adheres to the SAID principle, which stands for specific adaptations to imposed demands. Put simply, it adapts to become better at the things we consistently ask it to do. Lifting weights sends a clear signal that we need stronger muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons, among other positive physical adaptations, but it needs to be done regularly to maintain this message. One or two times per week is a good place to start. Challenge: To provide a stimulus sufficient for triggering positive changes, strength training has to be somewhat challenging. After all, if an activity feels easy, why would the body need to adapt when it's already up to the task? This doesn't mean you need to lift incredibly heavy weights – 'challenging' is a term relative to the individual. Instead, experiment to find exercises, weights and target numbers of repetitions that cause you to feel the 'burn' in the target muscle, Matranga advises. Alternatively, you can perform repetitions until your muscles tire to the point that you are forced to involuntarily slow down your movements. Always stop short of the point when your technique breaks down, however. Progression: Doing the same workout, week in, week out, will initially deliver benefits for beginners – because they are new to strength training, they need less stress to trigger adaptations. But progress will soon plateau. To see continued results, progressive overload is needed. This refers to the process of gradually and incrementally increasing the difficulty of your workouts in line with your improving strength and fitness levels. The easiest ways to do this are increasing the weight you're lifting, upping the repetitions you're performing per set or raising the number of sets you complete of an exercise. For example, if the workout above starts to feel easy, the following week you could add a couple of kilograms to the dumbbells, aim for 20 repetitions per set rather than 15, or perform four sets of each exercise rather than three. What benefits can you expect to see after a few months of strength training? 'The first thing you're going to notice is improved energy and perception of energy,' says Matranga. 'You're going to feel like you have more juice. 'You will definitely notice you have more speed, power and balance in your movement too. I'm not saying you will be a freak athlete, but you will be able to get off the sofa easier and walk a little quicker.' These are the first impacts of strength training that his clients tend to report. They are soon followed by tangible changes to their bodies, both inside and out. '[With an appropriate diet] you might start to see changes – typical results with strength training are weight loss, of course, but also changes in muscularity,' Matranga continues. 'Glutes could be lifted, arms might be more toned or pecs might be firmer – the things a lot of us are looking for aesthetically. 'Then after a few months, that's when we can start to see real health improvements like better regulated blood sugar, better regulations of blood lipids, better bone density, better blood pressure and better heart health too.' Strength training isn't for me Matranga says he often experiences pushback from people who are hesitant to start strength training because of its somewhat bullish reputation. However, once they get started, it is the training modality he has 'had the best luck getting people to stick with'. 'Resistance training is so much safer than conventional wisdom has said over the last couple of decades,' he says. 'A lot of people think, 'If I go to the gym and do a deadlift, my back is going to explode, or I can't do squats because they are bad for my knees'. But if we actually look at the literature, resistance training is really safe. 'It's safer than running [and most sports] because it's very controlled and rehearsed. There's no dynamic movement, you're not on a slippery court or a field, so the injury risk in resistance training is very low.' He also says it is a good option for newcomers to exercise. Firstly, because strength lays the foundations for all other forms of exercise – you can't do any physical activity if your body is not strong enough to tolerate it – and secondly, because it is scalable. If you can't do a bench press, you can do a press-up. And if you can't do a press-up, you can drop your knees to the floor or elevate your hands to make the move more accessible. You can also use resistance machines in gyms to learn the movements behind certain exercises in a more stable environment. 'As with so many exercise modalities, the lowest barrier for entry is actually above most people's capability,' Matranga adds. 'I have never met a person who couldn't do a machine chest press or a cable lat pulldown or an assisted squat, so I really love that resistance training is beginner-friendly and safe, despite what many people think.' Of course, if you have any underlying health conditions, it is always worth checking with a medical professional before starting a new exercise plan. But Matranga's point still stands: strength training is far more accessible than most people realise, and the payout is immense.
