What is the ‘quad-demic’? How to stay healthy this flu season
Winter is notorious for flu season. But this year, the U.S. seems to be struggling with a “quad-demic” of illnesses.
The quad-demic refers to Covid, flu, RSV and norovirus. These illnesses happening simultaneously have caused a more active than normal virus season.
To put things into perspective, from August 2024 to January 2025, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported 1,078 cases of norovirus outbreaks. That’s a 94 percent increase from the same period last seasonal year.
For the flu, the CDC has recorded at least 29 million illnesses, 370,000 hospitalizations, and 16,000 deaths during the 2025 season so far, which is “higher than any peak week” since 2010.
January 2024 was the first time that the percentage of flu deaths, 1.7 percent, was higher than Covid deaths. By Feb. 8, 2025, flu deaths have nearly doubled, at 2.6 percent.
This peak of illnesses is causing strain in some hospitals across the country, with some doctors reporting hospitals at or near capacity.
So far this flu season in Tarrant County, there have been 46 flu outbreaks, with the majority of those outbreaks — 41 — in schools, according to a news release from Tarrant County Public Health.
Though the quad-demic does not refer to contracting all four of the illnesses at once, the uptick in all four viruses is a warning sign for how easily one could get infected. Here’s what you should know to stay healthy.
Is Fort Worth struggling with the quad-demic?
Dallas-Fort Worth has the fifth-highest number of flu infections in the country, according to the Walgreens Flu Index.
The CDC also reports that respiratory illnesses in Texas are “very high.”
Tarrant County in particular has seen a “very high” number of patients in the emergency room for the flu, while visits for Covid and RSV are low.
“When levels are high, it may indicate that infections are making people sick enough to require treatment,” said the CDC.
There is no data of the exact number of norovirus cases in Texas, because the state is not a part of the CDC’s enters for Disease Control’s norovirus reporting network, and Texas health care providers aren’t required to report cases to local and state authorities.
How to stay healthy against the surge in viruses
The American Red Cross recommends a few tips to stay healthy during cold and flu season. Though there is no way to truly guarantee not getting infected, you can try your best using these tips:
Stay healthy by exercising, staying hydrated, eating healthy and getting ample sleep.
Avoid those who are sick (even if it’s just a cold!). Three feet is the recommended distance if you need to interact with an ill person.
Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth.
Clean frequently touched surfaces like counter tops, doorknobs and handrails.
Sneeze or cough into a tissue or your elbow.
Stay home if you are sick. You can return to school or work 24 hours after symptoms conclude.
Will vaccines protect against the quad-demic?
The CDC recommends getting vaccinated because “vaccines can prevent common diseases that used to seriously harm or even kill infants, children, and adults.”
You can get vaccines for the flu and for Covid, but the RSV vaccine is only recommended for adults 60 years old and up.
Norovirus has no treatment.