PRO/EDR> Respiratory syncytial virus (06): USA (SC, CA) RSV increase, influenza
Reply-To: noreply@isid.org
RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (06): USA (SOUTH CAROLINA, CALIFORNIA) RSV
INCREASE, INFLUENZA
A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Fri 1 Dec 2023
Source: Live 5 WCSC [edited] https://www.live5news.com/2023/12/01/its-overwhelming-high-number-rsv-cases-reported-south-carolina/
This holiday season, a common respiratory virus is seeing high numbers
of positive cases in the Palmetto State [South Carolina].
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection, or more commonly known as RSV,
can be serious in infants and older adults, sometimes requiring
hospitalization, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
RSV infections cause about 2 million doctor visits, 80 000
hospitalizations and up to 300 deaths in children under 5 every year,
the CDC says.
Numbers found by the CDC show positive cases in South Carolina as of
18 Nov 2023 were over 12% positive compared to over 2% positive this
same time last year [2022] and almost 4% in 2021.
“The last 2 years, we’ve had really bad RSV seasons,” MUSC Associate
Professor of Pediatric Critical Care Whitney Marvin says. “It’s really
overwhelming outpatient pediatricians, the emergency department and
just beds in the hospital become incredibly tight with how many
patients we’ve had, unfortunately, had to be admitted with RSV.”
Marvin says to most people RSV feels like the common cold but can be
very dangerous to infants with any underlying medical problems.
She says for most people RSV will pass with time, but it’s not
uncommon for infants to end up needing to be in the hospital to help
with their breathing.
“It’s not uncommon for them (infants) to end up needing to be in the
hospital to get help with their breathing, whether that’s just a
little bit of extra oxygen, or even being on the ventilator at times,”
Marvin says.
Marvin says a big hot topic in RSV is a vaccine that was approved by
the FDA last spring [2023], but unfortunately, supply is not meeting
the demand right now.
“The CDC came out with new recommendations in October [2023] actually
that make sure they send the vaccine at least in infants to those
under 6 months of age and those that really have severe medical
problems,” she says. “Most of the vaccines are being allotted to
hospitals right now, and some pediatricians have it.”
Marvin says preventing RSV is similar to avoiding any cold by washing
your hands and not going around people if you are sick.
“If RSV is on a door handle, and then you decide to touch the handle
and then touch your mouth or your face, there’s a chance that you
could get it that way,” she adds. “So really hygiene is the big one.”
People with babies especially need to be very careful about the number
of people you are around.
“Think where you’re taking [babies], how many people they’re around,
and everybody that’s kissing on them; just being very cognizant of
that,” Marvin says.