Doctors across the country say respiratory viruses are hitting people hard this season. Reported cases of Influenza and the Respiratory Syncytial Virus are on the rise. “They have started because they always start on the East Coast and make their way towards us and it’s after the holidays. So, people have already started to gather, the weather’s already started to get colder, people have been indoors, and it’s already started to ping pong around,” UC San Diego, Infectious Disease Specialist, Dr. Davey Smith said. In The Centers for Disease Control most recent report on the flu they’ve estimated that so far this season there have been 4.6 million illnesses, causing more than 49,000 hospitalizations and 1,900 deaths. There have been 3,191 reported flu cases and 456 reported RSV cases in San Diego during the 2025 – 2026 season, according to San Diego County’s Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report. Doctors urge people to keep important safety tips in mind. “The best thing is just to wash your hands and if you know somebody who has immunocompromised conditions, so their immune system isn’t working too well, wearing a mask is always a good idea but also just not going to that holiday function if you don’t feel well. You might do OK with the flu or the RSV, but grandma or great aunt might not,” Dr. Smith said. Dr. Smith also recommends staying up to date on flu and RSV vaccines. ...read more read less