According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people infected with the Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, has risen to a two-year high.
An epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, RSV is twice as prevalent among people of all ages this year as it was last year, with the United States seeing more than twice as many cases per week.
One reason for the increase among children is that they are socializing in ways similar to how they did before the pandemic, “Those respiratory viruses have been on a hiatus because kids have been somewhat isolated and have returned to normal.”
While RSV affects both children and adults, it is especially dangerous for children under the age of one and seniors 65 and older.
The CDC estimates that RSV causes 100 to 500 pediatric deaths and 14,000 adult deaths each year, with the actual figure likely being higher due to undercounting.
Because of the illness’s prevalence, there isn’t much testing for RSV.
RSV-related pediatric hospitalizations are up 1% this week compared to last. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, pediatric bed occupancy is at its highest in two years, with 76% of the estimated 40,000 beds filled with patients.
According to HHS data, Washington, D.C. and 17 states, including Tennessee, Connecticut, Delaware, Arizona, and Rhode Island, have between 80% and 90% of pediatric hospitalization bed capacity. Maine has a patient-to-bed ratio of 102%, which means that there are more patients than beds available.
According to Brownstein, RSV isn’t the only cause of pediatric hospitalizations because other respiratory diseases, such as the common cold, are on the rise.
The rise in RSV cases, combined with the spread of COVID-19 and the flu this fall and winter, has doctors concerned that Americans may face a “tripledemic” this year.
Respiratory illnesses have appeared earlier and in greater numbers than in previous years, according to the CDC. According to the federal health agency, there has also been an early increase in flu activity across most of the United States, with indications that this season could be much more severe than previous seasons.
