Baton Rouge / louisianaradionetwork.com May 24, 2021 | 12:21 PM COVID-19 mitigation practices incorporated over the last year like masking, social distancing, and frequent hand washing also had decreased other transmissible illnesses like the flu. However, LSU Health New Orleans Chief of Infectious Disease Dr. Julio Figueroa said as mandates relax, we are starting to see a gradual increase in other viruses like the common cold. “A lot of the children’s hospitals are reporting increases in something called Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, which usually occurs in the wintertime but they’re now starting to see it in May,” said Figueroa. There is no vaccine currently for RSV.