Those of us fortunate enough to have avoided COVID probably have something else to celebrate: no real flu and few common colds this winter. In fact, only about 1400 people in the US have tested positive for the flu this season, just a small fraction of the usual numbers. And while the number of flu vaccinations was up this year, that doesn’t really account for the steep drop in cases (there is some data suggesting flu vaccination may actually lead to a lower risk of COVID infection and a lower risk of serious illness if COVID infection occurs.) What has really mattered this year? Experts believe a number of the protective measures designed to limit COVID have been central to drastically curtailing a flu outbreak. Those measures include travel limitations, school closures, distancing efforts, and mask-wearing. And while we can’t impose many of these same draconian measures on the general population to ward off future flu epidemics, we can learn lessons to limit the spread of flu and colds going forward and potentially save thousands of lives (especially those of children and older adults) in the process.

What kind of lessons can we learn from the COVID pandemic? Beyond simple measures like regular hand washing, avoiding face touching, and staying home when sick, we may decide that going forward, mask-wearing when coming into contact with large winter crowds makes sense, along with instituting occasional remote learning sessions when subsequent flu outbreaks are at their peak. Especially during cold weather, when it’s easier for influenza and rhinoviruses (common cold viruses) to replicate and last longer, we may want to keep in place some of the measures that have proved most useful to limit the spread of viral infections. But one thing that’s less clear? Because of the apparent suppression of flu this year, we don’t know if next year’s outbreak will be more virulent or different in some significant way. As one expert has warned, “Once measures are relaxed, once people try to go back to normal, we’re going to have the biggest flu season on record.”

We do already have data from other countries that once schools have been re-opened there’s been a real uptick in rhinovirus infections among school kids. The data from Hong Kong and the UK illustrates that because of limited exposure to each other during COVID shutdowns, once kids come back together, rhinoviruses seem to re-emerge significantly among the children, and then lead to spread among adults. So those of you living with younger children or anxious to finally hug the grandkids again, beware: rhinovirus infections are hardy and survive on surfaces, so that masks will have limited benefit, and thus your chance of becoming infected may be significant. 

And what about warding off colds going forward? New data from the BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health reports that people who ingested the highest levels of Vitamin A and E from their diets along with Vitamin D supplements report the fewest complaints of respiratory illness. While it’s not proof of cause and effect, no harm in upping your intake of carrots, nuts,  and dark leafy greens. Find out more by clicking here.