Barbadians are being advised to safeguard themselves during the festive season amid a notable increase in healthcare visits for a “cocktail” of viral infections.Dr Kenneth Connell, public relations officer of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), made that appeal as several healthcare providers and pharmacies report that more people are seeking treatment and medication for respiratory, seasonal, and gastrointestinal complaints.Three years after a COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed the lives of nearly 650 people among more than 110 000 sickened by the virus in Barbados, the medical practitioner was urging caution against a typical surge of winter viruses which usually lends to the rise in influenza and other respiratory viruses.“Every season, every winter season, and as a tourist destination by default we have winter season, winter viruses peak,” Dr Connell told Barbados TODAY. “This means that viruses such as influenza viruses and other respiratory viruses are increased. This year, to add to the mix, we have what is slowly becoming a seasonal COVID-19 with a new variant. On top of that, there is Respiratory Syncytial Virus which is a virus that probably affects kids and children more than adults but can affect adults, especially those that are vulnerable. So you have this cocktail of viruses occurring and that’s not new.”He also pointed to the heightened risk of severe illness due to the convergence of winter viruses with a vulnerable population, particularly individuals over 65 and those with underlying medical conditions like diabetes, hypertension, cancers, and obesity.