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The Conversation
Emily Toth Martin, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, University of Michigan

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

Masks are an easy and low-cost way to reduce the amount of virus entering the air and spreading to others. william87/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The cold and flu season of 2022 has begun with a vengeance. Viruses that have been unusually scarce over the past three years are reappearing at remarkably high levels, sparking a “tripledemic” of COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. This November’s national hospitalization levels for influenza were the highest in 10 years.

We are infectious disease epidemiologists and researchers, and we have spent our careers focused on understanding how viruses spread and how best to stop them.

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