Children's hospitals grapple with a nationwide surge in RSV infections - NPR

Models of a macromolecule from the respiratory syncytial microorganism are shown astatine The University of Texas astatine Austin connected March 31, 2022. A spike successful RSV cases among children is pushing immoderate hospitals to capacity. The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption

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The Washington Post via Getty Images

Models of a macromolecule from the respiratory syncytial microorganism are shown astatine The University of Texas astatine Austin connected March 31, 2022. A spike successful RSV cases among children is pushing immoderate hospitals to capacity.

The Washington Post via Getty Images

An unseasonably aboriginal spike successful respiratory syncytial virus cases among young children is pushing immoderate hospitals to capacity.

RSV, arsenic it's called, is simply a respiratory microorganism that mostly manifests arsenic a mild unwellness with cold-like symptoms successful adults but tin origin pneumonia and bronchiolitis successful precise young children. It tin beryllium life-threatening successful infants and young adults.

Most years, infections typically hap successful the precocious autumn and winter, often overlapping with flu season. But astatine slightest since past year, physicians person begun seeing surges starting during summer months.

Children's hospitals successful the Washington, D.C. area, including Children's National Hospital, Inova Fairfax and Johns Hopkins successful Baltimore, are astatine oregon adjacent capacity, DCist reported.

Connecticut Children's Hospital successful Hartford has had its pediatric in-patient beds afloat for the past fewer weeks, WTNH reported. With nary denotation of the dispersed slowing down, officials determination are seeking the assistance of the National Guard and FEMA to acceptable up tents successful bid to grow capacity.

In Texas, doctors astatine Cook Children's infirmary successful Fort Worth told ABC News they are treating immoderate 300 RSV patients a day.

"Last year, much radical were wearing look masks and children were much apt to enactment location portion sick," Dr. Laura Romano said in Cook Children's in-house publication.

"This year, parents are sending their children to daycare and schoolhouse for the archetypal clip pursuing 2 years of the pandemic. ... Children who haven't been antecedently exposed to respiratory viruses are getting sick," Romano said.

Health officials successful King County, Wash., are besides alarmed arsenic they brace for much cases erstwhile wintertime hits. Dr. Russell Migita with Seattle Children's Hospital told King 5 News they are seeing astir 20 to 30 affirmative cases each day, adding that those are "unprecedented" figures.

How RSV shows up

RSV symptoms are akin to a acold and tin beryllium harmless successful adults, but the CDC says children nether the property of 5 are the astir affected group. According to the agency's data, each twelvemonth astir 58,000 children successful that property scope are hospitalized for RSV. The adjacent astir susceptible radical are adults implicit 65, successful whom the corruption causes 14,000 deaths a year.

RSV tin pb to bronchiolitis, an corruption that causes airways to go inflamed and clogged with mucus, making it hard to breathe. If the corruption travels to the lung sacs, it tin effect successful pneumonia.

Dr. Sara Goza, doc and erstwhile president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, talked to NPR past year astir however the corruption presents successful infants.

"A batch of the babies nether a twelvemonth of property volition person occupation breathing. They halt eating due to the fact that they can't respire and devour astatine the aforesaid time. And they're wheezing, truthful they're successful respiratory distress," Goza said.

Other symptoms see coughing, excessive sleeping and lethargy.

There is nary vaccine to forestall RSV, but doctors are urging patients to get the flu shot. It doesn't forestall the corruption but it could spare radical from much assertive symptoms and support them from seeking aesculapian attraction astatine already strained hospitals.