Parents are not OK after 3 years of COVID and a brutal winter of children's respiratory illness

With children back in school and day care after the holidays, weary parents fear what illness awaits them next during this brutal respiratory virus season.

With children back in school and day care after the holidays, weary parents fear what illness awaits them next during this brutal respiratory virus season.

Since October, RSV, a respiratory virus which often is most severe in young children and older adults, hit early and cases started rising quickly. Cases of influenza started rising soon after, all while COVID-19 continued to spread, with new variants surfacing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates:

CNN spoke to parents across the country about the challenges this flu season. They described cancelling Christmas, missing trips home to see family and pulling their children out of day care to keep them safe from illness.

Here are some of their stories, as told in their own words. Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Michaela Riley from Issaquah, Washington

I am a single mom living in the suburbs of Seattle. I work for one of the major corporations here. On the outside, I look successful. I have senior in my title, I consistently get promotions and recognition. On the inside, I am breaking from stress related to illness, never getting a real vacation and now the inability to pay for my basic needs.