"Is pneumonia contagious?" is the respiratory health question Americans type into Google most, drawing an estimated 137,000 searches a month, according to a September 22 analysis by health care staffing firm Soliant Health reported by Becker's Hospital Review. "Is bronchitis contagious?" and "What is RSV?" followed.
The list arrives as the 2026-27 respiratory season begins. In its September 18 update, the CDC said reports of group A strep were beginning to rise as children returned to school, and agency modeling estimated that COVID-19 infections were growing or likely growing in 27 states. Earlier in September, the CDC reported that rhinovirus and enterovirus infections were also increasing nationally, while flu and RSV activity remained low.
