The Big Global Health Mystery Behind Everyone’s Post-Covid Flu
On today’s Big Take podcast: we solve the mystery of what’s behind the surge in illness worldwide, from RSV to measles to the flu.
People wearing face masks as a precaution wait for a doctor appointment inside a hospital in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. Regional and national health chiefs are meeting Monday to decide whether to extend mandatory maskwearing to all health facilities following an epidemic outbreak of flu and other respiratory viruses that are putting a strain on the system.
Photographer: Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo
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Have you had the flu recently? Or RSV? Or just … some bug that you can’t quite shake? If so – you’re not alone. Bloomberg’s data team recently decided to investigate whether or not the perception that we’re all getting sick all the time is actually backed up by numbers. And what they found was truly surprising: in countries around the world, people are getting much sicker, much more often in the wake of the pandemic.