Caregiver talks about the fever, COVID, and RSV before taking a vacation

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Many are getting ready to head out of town for the holidays this weekend, but holiday travel can also mean the spread of unwanted germs.

The CDC says respiratory illnesses are on the rise across the globe.

Brandi Stewart, a nurse at HealthPoint, joined News 3 at 6 Tuesday to discuss all the illnesses going around right now.

She said there’s a little bit of everything going around right now and the changing weather also plays a role in people feeling sick.

“Last year we were seeing a lot of what we call ‘flu-vid’ so we were seeing people with flu and covid at the same time. This year we are seeing a lot of Flu B. Last year we were seeing Flu A. So this year with a lot of Flu B we know that vaccine worked pretty well last year and we are seeing a lot of RSV and a healthy amount of allergy-type symptoms,” Stewart said.

She says the best thing you can do to protect yourself is wash your hands.

“Anywhere you are going to have those high-traffic areas you are going to have illness.”

Stewart says we often drop our guards around family and friends, but illness can spread amongst those you know as well.

“We are really good about going to the grocery store and wiping everything down, but then we let people come into our homes that are obviously hacking,” she said.

You can watch our full interview with Stewart in the player above.