RSV infections dominate current illnesses in children.news

Three autumn and winter sicknesses are hitting children. One is respiratory syncytial virus, which is surging across the Bay Area, state and country.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is dominating at levels many healthcare facilities have never seen before with flu season and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, arriving earlier than usual .

RSV has many of the same symptoms as other respiratory infections, including runny nose, loss of appetite, coughing, sneezing, fever and wheezing. Almost all children become infected at some point during childhood. Most children and adults have mild symptoms, but doctors say it can cause serious complications in very young children and some adults.

Santa Clara County Deputy Health Officer Dr. Sarah Ludman said the county has seen a significant increase in cases exceeding hospital capacity.

“We hear that pediatric care in hospitals is starting to feel the burden of RSV in young children. Hospitals are at or near capacity and they are starting to think about moving patients or expanding treatment units,” she said. Told.

“It’s clear that cases of respiratory illness in the winter have gotten worse, even worse than before the pandemic.

The situation is also exacerbated by influenza and COVID-19. This year may be the first time the hospital has had to contend with all three of her, she said.

Wastewater monitoring with the Stanford SCAN system, which tracks the presence of disease genetic material in sewage, also shows a sharp increase in the presence of RSV.

The Santa Clara County Health System said in an email that three public hospitals — Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC), O’Connor Hospital, and St. Louis Regional Hospital — had treated about 300 RSV cases this September and October. said to have reported. , last year he was only 20 at the same time. There are currently no adult cases of him hospitalized with RSV at Valley Medical.

“Some of these patients were seen in our hospital’s three emergency departments, but patients were also treated in our pediatric acute care clinic and other acute care clinics. 200,000 RSV-positive pediatric patients have been admitted to SCVMC for treatment, all <5 years old. I have been diagnosed with inflammation.

RSV has many of the same symptoms as other respiratory diseases, but can be especially dangerous for infants.

“The reason RSV and some other viruses can cause problems in babies is that the airways and lungs are so small that when mucus builds up and swells in the small airways, it makes it very difficult for the baby to breathe. Older people, older children, and adults tend to see fewer problems with these viruses because they have larger airways. Dr. Alan Schroeder, Critical Care Physician at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, said.

RSV predominates and may be responsible for many children ending up in the emergency department at Stanford’s Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital. This is because people have pulled back on precautionary measures that were in place during the early stages of his COVID-19 pandemic. He said more people are vulnerable because immunity has not been built within the population.

About half of all cases at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health are due to RSV, Schroeder said. COVID-19 cases cause about 10% of all cases. Flu cases are also about 10% of Packard hospital cases.

RSV and influenza are also beginning earlier than in previous years.

“Normally, the busiest winter months from a virus standpoint tend to be January and February. We may see some cases in December and a few in November. But I’ve been really busy with the virus since early October,” he said. He said.

Partnerships with a number of community hospitals have allowed Packard Hospital to send children to some of these other hospitals and conversely to receive children when there was an overflow. I’ve been doing it,” he said.

Packard does not experience high stress levels like other facilities.

“Orange County just declared a state of emergency. We’re hearing about places like Chicago, Connecticut, where[patients]have to travel hundreds of miles to be hospitalized. And we haven’t gotten to that level yet. ” he said.

Hospitals have days when emergency room capacity is very high. “We have to be creative to get the care[patients]need, but we can do it safely,” he said.

Dr. Durbin Scott-Smith, head of the infectious diseases division at Kaiser Permanente in Redwood City, said RSV cases were rising in the community, but leveled off a little last week.

“It’s a similar story across the country when it comes to pace numbers. And it’s mostly seen in children. Of course, we’re watching it. But it’s been increasing every week for the last six weeks. ” he said.

Kaiser has the capacity to manage the cases the hospital is observing, he said.

RSV has symptoms that are virtually indistinguishable from other respiratory viruses, so unless you get tested, you won’t know it’s RSV, he said.

Parents should seek medical attention if their child has severe wheezing, rapid breathing, discoloration, blueness, or blue lips.

“It’s obvious. You have to be aware of it and look for it, but it’s a small child with a dry nappy, simply extreme lethargy, fatigue, dehydration, or reduced intake of fluids or food.” It can show up repeatedly in children.

Smith said that in addition to the usual precautions of hand washing and limiting contact with sick people, the best strategy to avoid complications is to avoid other viruses known to be circulating at the same time. He said he was vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19.

“It’s a clear and well-known step to take to reduce that risk. and now there are new Pneumovax vaccines against various strains of pneumonia.The CDC advocates that people with risk categories get all of these things. It really helps reduce the risk of viral infections.

Smith said a vaccine against RSV is coming. “We’ve had announcements from several different companies about it, which means it’s in the pipeline and could be here in a year or so,” he said.