JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Medical experts are sounding the alarm on a large uptick on flu, RSV, and COVID-19 cases. Leaders with the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are calling the outbreak a ‘tridemic.’

Doctors in Mississippi said while they’ve seen a rise in all three illnesses, the flu is most prevalent. According to the CDC, this is the worst flu season in over a decade. The agency ranks Mississippi as being at high risk of transmission.

Doctors said the rise in cases came early this year, and state hospitals are filling up fast. Experts said now is the time to get your flu shot.

“We’re in the middle of a triple whammy or a triple-demic, whatever you want to call it. We’re certainly seeing a lot of respiratory illness, and flu has been a dominating force here in the past couple of weeks,” said Dr. Jennifer Bryan, chairman at Mississippi Delegation of the American Medical Association. “As we come back together and we’re not masking, we’re going to continue to spread the cold virus. We’re going to continue to spread the flu, strep, COVID, and other respiratory illnesses.”

“It is important to get the flu vaccination as early as possible so that you can have that protection. It’s important to also know that once you get the flu vaccine, you decrease the severity of the actual flu, so it can stop the flu from being severe and also stop you from being hospitalized,” explained Dr. Andrew Clarke, a pharmacist at Northtown Pharmacy in Jackson.

Doctors said it takes two weeks after receiving the flu vaccine for your body to build enough antibodies to fight the virus.