What Parents Should Know About the Summer Spike in RSV Cases
As we all struggle with the summer COVID-19 surge due to the Delta variant, there is also another highly circulating virus called respiratory syncytial virus (or RSV). RSV is an incredibly common respiratory virus that usually circulates from October to February. But with this year’s early spike starting right in front of school, there are some things parents should be aware of.
For starters, it is estimated that by the age of two, almost all children will be infected with RSV, and it is possible to become infected multiple times. “It’s likely that everyone has been infected with RSV at least once in their life,” said Dr. Michael Chang , assistant professor of pediatrics at UTHealth Houston.
The vast majority of children with RSV are mildly ill – they may develop a runny nose, cough, and even a high fever, but they will recover very well. For adults, RSV infection usually just feels like a nasty cold, if they experience symptoms at all. However, more serious cases can and do happen.
Some children will need hospitalization for RSV.
While the vast majority of children will be fine, some will develop a severe case of RSV that will require hospitalization. In severe cases, there is a risk of developing bronchiolitis, when the small airways of the lungs become inflamed, or pneumonia.
On average, about 58,000 children are admitted to hospital for RSV per year, with an average stay of one to two days. Although deaths from RSV are rare, there is no need for hospitalization for a severe case of RSV.
Severe cases of RSV tend to occur in young children.
Severe cases of RSV tend to occur in young children, usually under six months of age, and in children with lung or heart problems. This includes children with congenital heart defects, as well as children under the age of two who are born prematurely because their lungs are more vulnerable.
For children who are at high risk of complications from RSV, there is a drug called palivizumab that can help prevent severe illness caused by the virus, although it cannot cure or treat children who already have severe RSV. Unfortunately, there is still no vaccine for RSV.
If your child has RSV and is struggling to breathe, or you hear a wheezing sound as he exhales, this is a sign that he needs urgent help or hospitalization. For babies, if they breathe quickly or take longer to feed, this is a sign that they need medical attention.
We are currently seeing a summer surge in RSV
With all the precautions taken over the past year and a half over COVID-19, doctors have not seen a large number of RSV cases over the winter. However, once the precautions began to lift and people started leaving the hospital again, RSV cases began to rise, which was an off-season summer surge that many doctors, including infectious disease specialists like Chang, did not expect.
Currently, doctors are observing a rate of RSV cases that matches, if not exceeds, what they usually see in the winter. “All of this happens in mid-August and July, which is completely unusual for RSV,” Chang said.
RSV hospitalization coincides with COVID-19 hospitalization
Unfortunately, this means that children who develop severe cases of RSV are admitted to the hospital at a time when they are already depleted by COVID. In the summer, the pediatric intensive care unit is often injured from accidents, and in the winter there are many cases of influenza and RSV.
“Usually RSV peaks and may start to decline, and then the flu rises,” Chang said. “This is usually what we see every winter.”
Right now, they’re seeing routine summer crashes, an influx of RSV, and any additional COVID-19 patients. This means that hospitals that are overcrowded must relocate some of their patients to another location.
“We will always find a bed for you, but it may be in another state,” Chang said.
COVID-19 Precautions Are Really Effective for RSV
The good news is that COVID-19 precautions are also incredibly effective at preventing the spread of RSV. “The interventions we are doing for COVID-19 – masks, physical distancing, hygiene – are the same as for RSV,” Chang said.
So disguise yourself and keep washing your hands because this will prevent the spread of not only COVID-19, but RSV as well.