Back when I was growing up, there were always people worrying over the possibility of “the next epidemic.” That’s understandable since many of us had parents or grandparents who had lived through the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic. (Or in some cases didn’t.) People were literally dropping dead in the streets during that one. Then things seemed to calm down for a while until 2020 arrived with COVID hot on its tail. Suddenly, the word “epidemic” didn’t pack enough of a punch. We were dealing with a “pandemic.” And we all know how that eventually worked out, with the government overhyping the danger while mismanaging the response with disastrous results. So are we done with all of the various “demics” for now? Oh, you just wish we were, but not even close. Last winter, while many of us weren’t even aware of it, we were hit with a “tripledemic.” And these same experts are warning that this winter will be even worse. There’s a “syndemic” headed our way. (Yahoo News)

COVID will likely reach levels in December not yet seen this year, combining with surges of flu, RSV, and other pathogens for a winter not so different from last year’s “tripledemic,” experts say.

Raj Rajnarayanan, assistant dean of research and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Ark., told Fortune that the U.S. is a “sitting duck” in the face of a “syndemic” winter.

It’s a term he prefers to “tripledemic,” as it acknowledges the impact of more than three pathogens on the healthcare system, and the need for policies to address the phenomenon, in addition to medical interventions.

So let’s see if we can puzzle this out. Last winter we supposedly had a “tripledemic” comprised of COVID, the flu, and RSV. Did you even notice? I ask this with no disrespect to the families who had people become ill or even die because that always seems to happen. But we’ve known about two of those diseases for a long time and we’ve sort of communally accepted that COVID is going to be with us going forward. It just seemed more like what we used to call “the flu season,” if a slightly rougher one than usual.

But now we’re being warned in alarming tones by Very Serious People that we are a “sitting duck” for a “syndemic” this winter. Honestly, they just seem to be making words up at this point. Syndemic isn’t even in most of our spellcheckers yet. I managed to find a definition claiming that it means “two or more illness states interacting poorly with each other.”

So how is this worse than or even different from what we had last winter? I’m not seeing how it would be. Could this instead be yet another situation where the government and our various medical institutions are trying to frighten us all again? Of course, they need to keep everyone terrified because that’s how they continue to exercise autocratic control as they cross their fingers and hope you don’t notice how badly they’ve been messing everything else up.

So “syndemic” it is. And they want you to be very afraid and stand by for further instructions. They know that if you’re not sufficiently afraid, some of you ungrateful little plebes might start noticing that your rights and freedoms are being eroded and begin asking uncomfortable questions. And we can’t have that now, can we?

The alternative is that you could follow the most reliable news you can find, take some common sense precautions, and do what you usually do. Try to eat healthy and get some exercise. If you’re sick, stay home from work. For those so inclined and most at risk, go get whatever vaccines you and your doctor find appropriate. I went and got the flu vax already after making sure it was an attenuated virus vaccine and not the experimental mRNA stuff. I took a pass on the COVID booster, though my wife got it and nothing bad seems to have happened to her yet. (Knock on wood.)

Or you can start losing sleep over “a looming syndemic” if you prefer. For those dealing with insomnia because of this, I’m no doctor, but I find that a nice martini before bed does wonders. You might consider checking it out. Best of luck out there.