10 mo. ago • 98%

The threat of respiratory illnesses is underway, CDC director says, and hospitalizations are on the rise

www.cnn.com The threat of respiratory illnesses is underway, CDC director says, and hospitalizations are on the rise | CNN

Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated a congressional subcommittee Thursday about cases of respiratory illness in the US due to three viruses: flu, the coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated a congressional subcommittee Thursday about cases of respiratory illness in the US due to three viruses: flu, the coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

“RSV season is in full swing,” Cohen told the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

“Flu season is just beginning across most of the country, though accelerating fast, and while we’re seeing relatively low levels of Covid, Covid is still the primary cause of new respiratory hospitalizations and deaths, with about 15,000 hospitalizations and about 1,000 deaths every single week,” she said.

“We are seeing a lot of RSV, particularly in the southern part of the country, so we’re near peak is what I would say for RSV,” Cohen said.

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18 comments

I had never heard of RSV until my dad (80) was recently diagnosed. It's a nasty illness and highly contagious. He can barely breath, but is getting better. He carries oxygen with him now to keep his oxygen levels up.

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- I caught it in my 30s and it was two weeks of misery. I had never been that sick with a respiratory virus in my life. It's easy to see it being dangerous for the very young and old.
  
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  Did it feel like a day of intense sinus pain and then just an explosion of mucus from every orifice for a week and then a honking cough? Because i think i had that and thought the exact same thing.
  
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- Thing is, until recently there was nothing we could do for RSV aside from the genetic supportive care that's given to all respiratory illnesses. That changed this last summer, when vaccines became available. It's similar for other respiratory viruses like metapneumovirus and parainfluenza, which are also a thing.
  
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  The millions of people that get infected with one or more of the above but not diagnosed:
  
  "Man, I had a really bad cold. Felt awful. Had to go to work though, was out of sick days and the boss couldn't/wouldn't find other coverage."
  
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  deleted by creator
  
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Tripledemic cool cool cool

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- Rsv is bad every year, any pediatrician and most parents could tell you of the fun of rsv season. It just hasn't gotten as much attention because there was nothing much we could do about it other than deal with it when it happens. The good news is we have a vaccine now, so if you've got an infant, are pregnant, or are over age 60 look into it. For young and middle age adults it's mostly just cold type symptoms. It's dangerous for young children and older adults though.
  
  Also there were a couple years when flu, rsv, and other respiratory viruses were not very common, because everyone was making up and being careful due to covid, and they aren't as infectious as covid. They've pretty much come back in full again now though.
  
  11
- Is this the darkest timeline? No, we aren't wearing goatees.
  
  4
  
  But are we suddenly acting all sexy and wearing leather?
  
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Anyone know if they will lower the age for the rsv vaccine? Right now it's only for 60+ or pregnant patients in certain weeks of pregnancy as far as I know.

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- Please see the cdc website:
  
  https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/rsv/index.html
  
  Infants don't generate great antibody responses and are protected by maternal antibodies for some time, hence the emphasis on vaccinating during pregnancy. There is a passive rsv vaccine though (rsv immunoglobulins) that some infants and young children may be eligible for. See above and also talk to your pediatrician. For young and middle age adults don't worry, it mostly is just cold type symptoms. You've probably gotten it many times and hadn't even realized.
  
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  Thanks, yeah my daughter is now 8 months old so not an issue really anymore, but since this wasn't approved in time during pregnancy I was really wishing I could have gotten vaccinated to avoid giving it to her. Fortunately all was well, and hopefully all soon to be mothers get the message about the vaccine. I feel like doctors are becoming afraid to really drive the vaccine message home in fear of negative reviews these days.
  
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- Probably not. The risk tradeoff likely isn't there, RSV isn't that dangerous outside the old and very young. A vaccine for infants would be nice, but it's extremely hard to get those approved.
  
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- There are also exceptions for adults with serious health issues which increase their risk. I got it because I have cystic fibrosis.
  
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