2022 Year in Review: The 10 most-searched viruses on Yahoo Canada
Yahoo Canada's top searches of the year revealed Canadians were concerned about their health
2022 was a year when people were on high alert for their health, with COVID-19 dominating headlines and giving way to caution relating to other illnesses. The top 10 most-searched viruses and questions about conditions featured information on vaccines, the flu, RSV and how people can differentiate between all of them.
Top 10 virus searches of 2022
1. COVID-19
While this won’t come as a shock to anyone, COVID-19 was the most searched virus of 2022. Coronavirus (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has changed the way we live since 2019. With countless lives lost and drastic changes to our daily lives, COVID-19 will be remembered for a long time. Even though the infection numbers have significantly gone down, the world is still battling COVID-19. For the week of Nov. 27 to Dec. 3, Canada had a total of 17,376 cases. Some other significant effects of coronavirus on the Canadian healthcare system are; a slowdown in the growth of the primary care physician supply, peak overtime hours for healthcare workers in over a decade, and nurses moving into self-employment or agency jobs.
2. Monkeypox
Monkeypox (Mpox) also took up a big part in our news cycle this year. While the infection numbers were nowhere near COVID-19, Monkeypox scared masses with its symptoms including the firm or rubbery rash caused by the infection that also went viral.
Monkeypox is also a part of the same family as the virus that causes smallpox. As of Dec. 9th, Canada has 1,459 confirmed cases.
3. RSV Virus
Similar to coronavirus, lung and respiratory tract infections are brought on by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Due to its close nature to COVID-19, RSV was also one of the most researched viruses of the year. While the symptoms are most likely to appear six days after the infection, they can range from a dry cough to a low-grade fever. Since August 2020, there have been a small number of positive RSV cases in Canada overall. This is an improvement over 2018–19 when 17.7 per cent of Canadian patients tested positive for RSV.
4. Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is brought on by microbes that travel from person to person through the air. Although TB typically affects the lungs, it can also have an impact on the brain, kidneys, or spine. Reportedly, TB infections and deaths increased during COVID-19, while TB services were one of the many disrupted by the pandemic. On a positive note, Canada has one of the lowest rates of active tuberculosis in the world.
5. Flu symptoms
Many were also searching for flu symptoms, whether it was to compare it to COVID-19 symptoms, or because it was the flu season in Canada. Influenza viruses are what cause the flu, a contagious respiratory infection. While it is impossible to tell COVID-19 and flu apart just by symptoms, some important differences are that COVID-19 may take longer to show symptoms and may be contagious for longer periods of time. As we start the sixth week of the national influenza epidemic, the Government of Canada reports that influenza activity is still above average for this time of year at the national level.
6. Polio
Poliomyelitis (polio), is a disabling and potentially fatal disease caused by the poliovirus. While vaccination and prevention have been immensely effective in protecting the world from polio, in October of this year an adult who had not received the polio vaccine became paralyzed in New York. Canada has been polio-free since 1994 thanks to vaccination.
7. RSV in infants / What is RSV
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), is repeated in the top searches of 2022 by concerned parents as the most vulnerable groups to suffer severe illness from RSV are premature infants and children. CDC reports that an estimated 58,000–80,000 children under the age of five are hospitalized in the United States every year as a result of RSV infection.
8. Flu shot
It is definitely a positive sign that many were searching for flu shots as it shows an eagerness to get vaccinated. The government of Canada recommends that everyone older than 6 months should get the flu shot every year. Each year, a unique flu shot is created to protect from the impending flu season.
9. Influenza
The terms influenza and flu are often used interchangeably, however, influenza is not the same as the stomach "flu" viruses that cause diarrhea and vomiting. There are also four subtypes to the influenza family; A, B, C, and D. While types A and B are responsible for seasonal outbreaks each year, type C virus infections are generally mild and not strong enough to cause human epidemics. Type D viruses primarily affect cattle.
10. Measles
On the bottom of the list is another viral respiratory illness, measles. People who are at the most risk for severe illness from measles are children under the age of five. Currently, India leads the outbreaks in the world with 11,055 active cases. While vaccines are preventative, measles is extremely contagious, nine out of 10 people who are not protected will become infected if exposed.
