Local, state and national health officials are warning the public to beware of a looming “tridemic.”

Health officials are bracing for the possibility of a combination of three illnesses – a “tridemic” of COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus and influenza.

And the concern that a tridemic could stress hospitals.

For a populace weary of nearly three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a tridemic warning is the last thing people want to hear.

After all, COVID numbers are down. For the first time since March 2020, South Georgia Medical Center discontinued issuing daily COVID-19 numbers earlier this month. But flu and RSV numbers are up locally.

The flu and RSV have been around for years … why must health officials now lump all illnesses together and create a fear-inducing term such as “tridemic” – a threefold pandemic?

Because it is a warning couched in hope.

A warning that people need to take seriously. A hope that people will take it seriously.

Dr. Brian Griner of Valdosta said South Georgia has already experienced rising numbers of flu and RSV cases – much earlier in the season than usual.

“The next couple of weeks are going to be pretty steady and very busy,” Griner said in a recent article in The Valdosta Daily Times. “I mean, horribly. Urgent cares and walk-ins are packed currently, with people wanting to get tested, wanting to get treated, if possible. And the thing is that people who have other co-morbid factors, it’s not just that they may have the flu, but sometimes the flu can in turn predispose you to developing pneumonia as well as RSV or even COVID. And so, you get a more severe infection that you think is something mild, and then you get severely sick. So you’ve got to be very careful with these illnesses.”

Griner and other health officials tout getting the flu vaccine – which has been a staple for entering the fall and winter months for many years. Other preventive methods should be familiar to the public after years of pandemic: regularly washing hands, staying home if sick, etc.

“If you’re talking about COVID, RSV or the flu, hand washing is always key. Vaccinate wherever appropriate. If you can get the flu vaccine, I said that we have the best data for that going back decades. … People who are already sick, trying to isolate them as much as possible,” Griner said. “Then try to have a good healthy lifestyle, which is eating appropriately, avoiding risk factors such as smoking, getting control of chronic health conditions, and even exercise as well. All that helps improve your immune system. All these things together can help you fight off what could be a potentially fatal illness.”

That’s more than a warning. That’s good advice.