Flu, RSV Seasons Surging Unseasonably Early
- 2 years ago
Hospitalizations from the influenza and the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, are reaching levels not typically seen until later in their seasons, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The trend comes as the CDC reported the season's first pediatric flu death this week. The agency did not provide any information about the child, but officials in Hidalgo County, Texas, reported that a three-year-old girl died earlier this month after testing positive for the flu.
The CDC has reported at least 880,000 flu infections and 360 deaths so far this season.
Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Maryland are among the states reporting high flu activity.
Influenza hospitalizations are increasing, reaching a level not usually seen until much later in the flu season. The CDC estimates that at least 6,900 people have been hospitalized with the flu so far this season and more than 2,330 are currently hospitalized.
That cumulative number of hospitalizations hasn’t been recorded this early in the season going back over a decade, according to CDC.
And on top of flu, RSV cases are also increasing. RSV, which is a respiratory illness, usually causes mild cold-like symptoms. While most people recover from RSV in a week or two, it can be serious for infants and older adults.
CDC surveillance has shown an increase in RSV detections and RSV-associated emergency department visits and hospitalizations in multiple U.S. regions, with some regions nearing seasonal peak levels, according to the agency.
The typical peak for the season ranged from late December to mid-February, according to the CDC. But since the COVID-19 pandemic, RSV’s usually very predictable seasons have changed.
RSV’s circulation pattern has “been disrupted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic early in 2020,” the agency stated.
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha this week said that 90% of kids typically end up getting RSV at least once by the time they are 2 years old.
“Because of the pandemic, some of the standard patterns have been disrupted, so we’re seeing a lot of RSV at once,” Jha said at a press briefing this week.
Source:
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-10-28/flu-rsv-seasons-surging-unseasonably-early
The trend comes as the CDC reported the season's first pediatric flu death this week. The agency did not provide any information about the child, but officials in Hidalgo County, Texas, reported that a three-year-old girl died earlier this month after testing positive for the flu.
The CDC has reported at least 880,000 flu infections and 360 deaths so far this season.
Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Maryland are among the states reporting high flu activity.
Influenza hospitalizations are increasing, reaching a level not usually seen until much later in the flu season. The CDC estimates that at least 6,900 people have been hospitalized with the flu so far this season and more than 2,330 are currently hospitalized.
That cumulative number of hospitalizations hasn’t been recorded this early in the season going back over a decade, according to CDC.
And on top of flu, RSV cases are also increasing. RSV, which is a respiratory illness, usually causes mild cold-like symptoms. While most people recover from RSV in a week or two, it can be serious for infants and older adults.
CDC surveillance has shown an increase in RSV detections and RSV-associated emergency department visits and hospitalizations in multiple U.S. regions, with some regions nearing seasonal peak levels, according to the agency.
The typical peak for the season ranged from late December to mid-February, according to the CDC. But since the COVID-19 pandemic, RSV’s usually very predictable seasons have changed.
RSV’s circulation pattern has “been disrupted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic early in 2020,” the agency stated.
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha this week said that 90% of kids typically end up getting RSV at least once by the time they are 2 years old.
“Because of the pandemic, some of the standard patterns have been disrupted, so we’re seeing a lot of RSV at once,” Jha said at a press briefing this week.
Source:
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-10-28/flu-rsv-seasons-surging-unseasonably-early