4 Signs You May Actually Have Two Illnesses At The Same Time

If you've been sick for what feels like forever, you might just have a co-infection. Here's how to tell.

This winter illness season has been a rough one. States across the country have experienced high levels of respiratory viruses, like COVID-19, flu and RSV. And that’s not to mention the colds, stomach bugs, throat infections and a variety of other bugs that have been going around. Some people have reported their symptoms seem to be lasting longer than usual.

If you’ve been sick a lot recently or have had severe or long-lasting symptoms, you may be wondering: Is this just a really nasty bug? Or could I actually have had two overlapping viruses?

We talked to doctors about the likelihood and signs you may have two illnesses at the same time. Here’s what to know:

You could be dealing with two infections if you’re experiencing multiple symptoms that don’t seem to be connected.

Most of the time ― even if you have multiple symptoms ― it’s likely you only have one infection, Dr. Stuart Ray, a professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins, told HuffPost.