“This unusual timing means higher levels of RSV activity may continue into April in many regions. Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for RSV are highest among infants and children less than 4 years old,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a recent update.
For most people, RSV cases will cause mild flu-like illness, but for young children and older adults, the disease can cause severe illness, leading to hospitalization that could involve being placed on a ventilator.
“Unlike some other viruses, you’re actually pretty contagious throughout your entire time with RSV. And so, if your kid is coughing and they’ve had RSV and they go to daycare, all of those kids are exposed. And so it is definitely one of those illnesses we worry about,” said Sarah Nosal, a physician and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
There currently are no treatments specifically indicated for RSV, though several preventive treatments have been approved in recent years.
RSV vaccines are available to older adults and pregnant women, with administration to expectant mothers believed to confer some protection to their children before they are born. An RSV monoclonal antibody is also available for infants and young children.
“RSV continues to be the leading cause of hospitalization in young infants, so being able to prevent that is very important,” said William Schaffner, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
“And since the RSV season is extending, the recommendations have been to pediatricians and parents to still consider even though it’s kind of late in the season.”
Read the full report at TheHill.com
No comments:
Post a Comment