Arizona is currently experiencing a “triple threat,” according to HonorHealth Associate Chief Medical Officer, Kim Olson Gibbs M.D.

“We have COVID going on, Influenza and RSV,” Gibbs said. “The symptoms are all very similar [and] the preventions are very similar. They are spread by respiratory droplets.”

Speaking to the Four Peaks Rotary Club last Thursday, Gibbs, accompanied by HonorHealth Medical Group Director Robyn Popp and Practice Manager Andrea Ruiz, gave a presentation on the ongoing respiratory threats the community faces this season: COVID, Influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Valley Fever.

Here are a few facts and best practices as shared by HonorHealth Medical Group to prevent the transmission of respiratory viruses.

COVID-19

Almost three years after its introduction, the novel coronavirus still resides in Arizona. Despite its devastating impact, Gibbs said that rolling back stay-at-home orders and socializing is important.

“When people are socially isolated, they don’t have those same connections, and we need that. We are social creatures,” she said.

Still, Gibbs attributes the recent rise in COVID transmissions to a lack of social distancing and masking, and Arizona’s relatively low level of vaccination rates. With Maricopa County’s COVID-19 Community Level set to “medium,” Gibbs also stresses at-home testing as a critical first step of prevention.

“If you are positive on a home test, it is accurate. If you are negative and symptomatic, it probably needs to be repeated,” she said. “Just because you’re negative doesn’t mean that you aren’t infectious with some sort of respiratory illness to your community.”

Gibbs urges everyone to wash their hands thoroughly, manage their weight, avoid smoking, control their blood sugar levels and most importantly, get vaccinated.

“Vaccination has been one of the leading preventions [of COVID]” she said. “Our state has low vaccination rates when you look at other populations.”

Influenza

The flu is a common viral infection that attacks the lungs, nose and throat. It affects people of all ages, especially those in high-risk groups with chronic diseases or weak immune systems.

Since there are no at-home flu testing kits available to the public, it is important to contact one’s primary care physician to get tested for the flu.

Given a recent spike in flu cases, Gibbs said HonorHealth is inundated with calls for antiviral testing, but still urges those with flu-like symptoms to call their provider right away.

“Testing actually needs to happen within 24 to 48 hours for optimal benefit from antiviral medications, so we need to have you jump onto your symptoms a little bit quicker,” Gibbs said. “If you are outside of that window and you present to the primary care or the urgent care office, you may not be offered testing but instead, offered symptomatic treatment.”

The most common form of prescribed treatment for the flu is an oral medication called Oseltamivir Phosphate, better known as Tamiflu, which helps to decrease the severity of flu symptoms and can shorten the illness by a matter of days.

RSV

RSV is a contagious virus transmitted through respiratory droplets that causes an infection in the respiratory tract.

While no true RSV antiviral medication exists, relieving its symptoms involves managing fever and pain with over-the-counter fever reducers and pain relievers, drinking enough fluids to prevent dehydration and talking with healthcare providers when RSV symptoms persist longer than one to two weeks.

RSV is most commonly found in children, so Gibbs urges families to wash their hands thoroughly and often.

Valley Fever

Found in the soil in western U.S. states, parts of Mexico and Central and South America, Valley Fever is a fungal infection caused by inhaling microscopic fungal spores in the air.

Thankfully, Gibbs said most people who breathe in these spores do not get sick, and those who do recover within a few weeks. For the unfortunate few who get severely ill, the best thing to do is avoid areas where large amounts of dust are prevalent, avoid going outdoors during monsoon season and present their symptoms to their primary care physician.

“You can’t get away from it unfortunately,” Gibbs said. “It can pretty severely affect your dog and the vets [in Arizona] are very familiar with this.”

While powerless to completely avoid Valley Fever in Arizona, Gibbs says the community does have the power to slow the spread of COVID, Influenza and RSV by washing their hands and staying up to date on vaccinations.

“The biggest problem this year is people didn’t get vaccinated,” Gibbs said. “Please, please, please don’t just assume it’s a cold or allergies. It may be something viral.”