2 days Ago By Maggie Kent
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Just in time to get back into the swing of work and school again, there are some nasty viruses getting into the mix. But flu, COVID-19, and norovirus season unfortunately is in its prime. "We see it.
We see these respiratory viruses spread through coughing, loud talking, sneezing," says Dr. Delana Wardlaw, a family doctor with Fair Hill Community Physicians. "From my patient population I'm seeing more of the flu," she said.
Flu is up sharply in Pennsylvania with triple the cases reported to the Department of Health last week, compared to the week before Christmas. One expert says that at holiday parties with 10 people or more, there's a 1 in 8 chance of COVID exposure. On an airplane, it's a 3 in 4 chance of being exposed.
"We're back to a sense of normalcy now, so most people aren't wearing go masks," said Dr. Wardlaw. Along with respiratory illness, doctors are tracking a nasty norovirus.
"Sometimes it's called the stomach flu. The norovirus is sometimes contracted through contaminated foods, contaminated surfaces," said Dr. Wardlaw.
The biggest concern with norovirus is dehydration -- drinking lots of water will help symptoms with each of these three viruses..
