Children’s hospitals are under strain across the United States as unusually high numbers of kids infected with respiratory illness weeks before its typical season from November.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases typically surge from December to February, but this month, the children’s hospital has more RSV cases than any other respiratory illness, including COVID-19.
The United States has been recording about 5,000 cases per week this month, according to federal data. Hospitals in 33 states are seeing a dramatic rise in children suffering from the respiratory virus called RSV, a common respiratory virus among children that causes common cold symptoms.
Children’s hospitals in the Washington D.C. area neared capacity this week as respiratory illness cases spiked. “We are treating a very high number of severely ill children,” Sarah Combs, an emergency medicine physician at Children’s National, told Washington Post.
Connecticut is one of many states seeing a surge in hospitals being overflowed with children suffering from respiratory illnesses. “We just don’t have as many critical care beds as we have adult critical care beds simply because we don’t usually need them,” according to Dr. Juan Salazar, Physician in Chief, of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
in what has become a national health crisis. Infectious disease doctors are concerned about the trend.
Connecticut Children’s Hospital in Hartford is also reportedly in talks with the National Guard and FEMA about setting up a tent outside the hospital to help combat what’s being described as a national health crisis.
“RSV admissions have skyrocketed at Connecticut Children’s. October has been like never before for this virus,” Monica Buchanan, senior director at Connecticut Children’s Hospital, told CNN.
What is RSV?
Respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs) in children younger than 1 year of age in the United States.
How RSV spreads?
An infected person can pass on RSV through a cough or sneeze. If the respiratory droplets land on a surface like a doorknob or desk and someone else touches it and then touches their face, they can get sick. People infected with RSV are usually contagious for 3 to 8 days
RSV facts
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the RSV results in around 58,000 annual hospitalizations and 100 to 300 deaths among children under 5. Each year in the United States, RSV leads to approximately:
- 2.1 million outpatient (non-hospitalization) visits among children younger than 5 years old.
- 58,000 hospitalizations among children younger than 5 years old.
- 177,000 hospitalizations among adults 65 years and older.
- 14,000 deaths among adults 65 years and older.
- 100–300 deaths in children younger than 5 years old.
