RSV Cases Rising Across the U.S., Hospitalizing Infants and Vulnerable Adults
A surge in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases is occurring nationwide, leading to increased hospitalizations, particularly among infants and older adults, health officials reported today.
Data from PopHIVE, a project of the Yale School of Public Health, shows that approximately 1.2% of emergency room visits nationwide for infants under 1 year old were due to RSV during the week ending October 11th, a significant increase from 0.4% a month earlier. RSV can cause severe breathing difficulties in young children due to their small airways, sometimes requiring oxygen or even ventilation. “The issue with kids is that their airways are so small that when it causes inflammation in the airways, it’s just very hard to breathe,” explained Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco. This rise in RSV cases comes as the country prepares for the broader fall and winter respiratory virus season, alongside COVID-19 and influenza.
New vaccines and immunizations are available to help protect vulnerable populations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends RSV immunizations for pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation, adults age 75 and older, and those age 50 to 74 with certain underlying medical conditions. Infants can also receive protection through maternal vaccination or a monoclonal antibody treatment. These preventative measures are particularly important given that RSV can lead to up to 300 deaths annually in children under 5 and as many as 160,000 hospitalizations among seniors, according to the CDC. For more information on respiratory illnesses, see the World Health Organization.
Health officials are urging individuals to get vaccinated if they haven’t already, emphasizing that early vaccination is crucial before respiratory virus activity potentially increases. Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the Orange County health officer, stated that now is “exactly the time to get vaccinated…especially before respiratory virus activity potentially increases later.”
