COVID-19 retreats this summer, but now RSV is rising

By Dr. H. GesterandA pediatrician at the University of Utah Health and Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital said RSV activity was rarely seen at this time of the year.

RSV infections in the United States usually occur in the fall and winter, consistent with the cold and flu seasons. By May, RSV is usually very rare.

According to Gesterand, Utah has seen an increase in the number of RSV cases identified in the last few weeks, and the state is “currently on a smoldering plateau of RSV activity.”

But “we weren’t surprised or surprised because we were watching what was happening in Australia,” he said.

Because Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, it often warns early on what the US respiratory season will look like.

“This year we noticed it [Australia] As summer began, RSV activity surged and I began to relax. [COVID-19] “Precautionary measures,” said Gesterand. “So I knew this might happen here and have been very enthusiastic about monitoring the RSV situation in Utah.”

Similarly Dr. S. Wesley Long, Associate Professor of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist, and his colleagues noticed an increase in RSV cases in Texas from March to May.

Texas is one of the southern states included in the CDC’s RSV Health Recommendations.

Long and his colleagues also saw an increase in other seasonal respiratory viruses such as common cold virus, parainfluenza, and non-COVID coronavirus.

Some of these have reached pre-pandemic levels, but RSV is still below normal peaks.

“That’s what really surprised us. [some of these viruses] “And the out-of-season increase was compared to the previous season in many seasons,” Long said.

He and his colleagues published the results on a preprint server on May 30th. medRxiv.. They intend to submit their treatises to peer-reviewed journals.

Gesterand, like many things related to viral illness, says it’s hard to know for sure why RSV is currently rising.

However, he and others attributed, at least in part, to a decrease in the number of people wearing masks, social distances, and other COVID-19 precautions. thinking about.

RSV activity declined last year due to restrictions. A similar trend was seen with seasonal influenza. Virtually nonexistent During this past season.

“If you suddenly relax [restrictions]”Most of the population is susceptible to RSV, which can cause the virus to pop out and spread,” Gesterand said.

In Texas, the increase in RSV cases occurs shortly after Governor Greg Abbott End State Maskman Date In March, we will lift pandemic restrictions on businesses.

According to Long, the CDC’s health recommendations are good for reminding medical professionals that RSV or other seasonal viruses may currently be causing respiratory symptoms in patients.

“It’s still important to test and rule out COVID, but if it’s not COVID, it’s important for clinicians to know that these other viruses are coming back and prevailing in our community. think.”

According to the CDC, RSV typically kills 100-500 children under the age of 5 and 14,000 adults over the age of 65.

Common symptoms of RSV You may have a fever, stuffy nose, or a cough.

According to Gesterand, the virus begins as an upper respiratory tract infection, similar to a cold, but can cause problems when the virus moves to the lower respiratory tract.

This is especially troublesome for infants and adults with lung and heart problems.

“Baby begins to worry about having rapid breathing, wheezing, or dyspnea, which can appear to use the abdominal and neck muscles to help breathe,” he said. ..

Other symptoms of a warning signal in an infant include fever, commotion, lack of food, excessive drowsiness, and low energy that last for more than a few days.

Gesterand states that parents should contact their child’s pediatrician if they notice these symptoms, or any other severe or worrying symptom that lasts longer than a normal 3-4 day cold. ..

Due to reduced RSV activity during a pandemic, many parents of newborns may not have had to think about the virus, but with the recent increase in cases, parents need to pay attention to the symptoms of the disease. ..

“It’s a good time to refresh your parents’ memory of what this illness looks like, and when you might want to seek care,” Gesterand said.