RSV: Covid-19 hits national immunity, killing six in Oakland

Nine people died nationwide after being infected with RSV this winter, including six living in the central suburbs of Auckland.

Dr. Sarah Jeffery, an ESR public health doctor, said the RSV epidemic was likely the result of reduced herd immunity due to Covid-19 isolation in New Zealand last year and increased movement since then. ..

She said that “much lower levels of herd immunity to RSV” were explained by the Covid-19 response, leading to “very high RSV activity” in the last five weeks.

According to Jeffreys, the incidence of RSV is declining, but it may be because recent school holidays have prevented children from getting infected. She warned, “We could grow even more as our children return to school.”

The New Zealand Herald has been approaching the six largest hospitals in the country since April to detect the effects of respiratory syncytial virus.

The Oakland District Health Commission confirmed that six patients infected with RSV had died last night. A spokeswoman said RSV may not be the cause of the death.

A Canterbury District Health Commission spokesman said one patient died of “RSV-related complications” and “existing conditions” during the outbreak this winter. He did not specify the age of the patient.

Capital and Coast DHB also reported one adult death associated with RSV, but said that as of yesterday afternoon, none of the children admitted to the intensive care unit had died.

And Herald previously reported the death of a 63-year-old northern Auckland woman who had been infected with the virus. She died at her home in Stanmore Bay after being discharged from North Shore Hospital last month.

Health Director Ashley Bloomfield said last month that RSV was the “classical” illness New Zealand saw most of the winter.

“Last year there was little RSV, but this year we’ve seen the normal increase we’ve seen before, and it’s speculated that it could be partly worse as the pool grew because it wasn’t there last year. “

DHBs across the country have continued to struggle with the high demand for people presenting highly contagious viruses, but the latest Environmental Science Research (ESR) figures show that hospitalization rates are declining.

At six major New Zealand hospitals, the number of people admitted to RSV surged to 951 during the week ending Monday, July 18. However, in the week ending Monday, July 25, that number dropped to 787.

As of July 25, there were a total of 4434 RSV hospitalizations at these six major hospitals.

Dr. Nigel Miller, Chief Medical Officer at Southland DHB, said RSV appears to have been alleviated in southern hospitals and that very few children are hospitalized for viruses and other respiratory illnesses.

“From late June to most of July, the children’s ward at Southland Hospital and the children’s unit at Dunedin Hospital were very busy caring for children with RSV and other illnesses.

“By the third week of July, the situation in Southland had begun to ease, but Dunedin’s share had risen slightly,” Miller said.

Herald requested the number of deaths recorded by those hospitals, and there was a response here:

Oakland-6

Manukau County-0

Waitemata-0 at DHB. 63 years after the patient was discharged.

Waikato-0

Capital and Coast & Hat Valley-1 Adult

Canterbury-1 adult

Southland-0

The Health Quality & Safety Commission, an independent body that reviews hospital adverse events, did not have “ready-to-use data” on RSV-related deaths, a spokeswoman said.

She said that neither the Child Adolescents and Mortality Review Board (CYMRC) and the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Board (PMMRC) expert advisors have information on RSV mortality. These committees collectively report on infants and deaths up to the age of 24.

ESR continued rReceive reports of new outbreaksRecently, at 3 Infant Centers and 5 Elderly Housing Care Centers.

Approximately one-third of cases of severe acute respiratory infections (Sally) monitored at four Auckland “sentinel” hospitals were involved in RSV.

Last year’s blockade reduced infection rates by 98% and crushed them, as did the flu and other seasonal illnesses.

However, it was not clear how this year’s trials took place.

Australia had previously recorded an outbreak of RSV, and the explosion in New Zealand occurred at the same time as the start of the unquarantine trip, so scientists strongly suspected that the virus had been re-disseminated from across Tasman. ..

What is RSV?

• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a highly contagious virus that causes lung and respiratory tract infections.

• People infected with RSV spread the virus as droplets when coughing, sneezing, or talking.

• Very young or premature babies can be very ill and may require hospitalization. In this age group, RSV can cause bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small respiratory tract of the lungs) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs).

• Most adults and older children with RSV experience symptoms similar to those of a common cold. However, older people, people with weakened immunity, and people with heart and lung conditions are also at increased risk of RSV.

• Many children can recover from the disease at home, but some are admitted to the hospital to support their feeding and to be given additional oxygen when it is needed. To do.