RSV

[Maddog]

DALLAS — There’s a predictability to when certain illnesses begin showing up in local emergency rooms.

But nothing about the last 18 months has been predictable, and the trend continues.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus, known as RSV, is a common respiratory virus that typically causes cold-like symptoms.

But it can cause serious breathing problems in newborns, infants and toddlers.


Hospitalization is rare but does happen.

Every year, cases of RSV begin appearing in North Texas in the fall.

They peak in the winter and then trail off each spring.

But between the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021, Children’s Health in Dallas and Cook Children’s in Fort Worth reported zero cases of RSV.

“When I say no cases, I’m not exaggerating. This is not hyperbole. We just didn’t see any cases,” said Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, chief of infectious diseases at Children’s Health and professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Cases of RSV suddenly appeared in local hospitals in April and continued to increase in May and June.

“It’s so out of cycle it’s almost hard to fathom,” Kahn said.

Dr. Mary Suzanne Whitworth, director of pediatric infectious diseases at Cook Children’s, said this is an unprecedented summer spike.

“I’ve been here 25 years, and we’ve never seen an outbreak of RSV in the summer months before,” she said.

The spike in cases all over Texas and throughout the south is so dramatic it caused the CDC to issue a health advisory in June.

Most people who contract RSV don’t develop severe complications, Whitworth said.

“You and I get RSV every year or two and it’s a cold. But if you catch it in the first two years of life, and most kids do, it can be more severe,” Whitworth said.

It typically causes a cough and a runny nose and the symptoms go away in a week or two, she said.

But the congestion can worsen and cause a newborn or toddler to develop breathing problems serious enough that they need critical care.

“RSV is responsible for more hospitalizations than any other virus, and it can lead to very severe respiratory tract infection,” Kahn said.


https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/healt ... 5b7b10ad74


I had never heard of this until about about 4 months ago.

Then 2 months ago my granddaughter caught it and had to be hospitalized.

In any event, it's filling up our pediateice units in hospitals..

And I understand it's made a rare summer appearance in the UK too.

[Cactus Jack]

It killed me when I was six months old.

Whether you consider it fortunate or otherwise death didn't stick due to the actions of nurse and here I am.

That's why I'll never tolerate a word said against the British NHS because without them that's one of three - possibly four - times when I nearly didn't make it.

Fortunately due to a quick thinking nurse whilst I had to cope with bouts of chronic bronchitis up until I was thirteen I never quite made it to being a four man lift.

[Maddog]

It killed me when I was six months old.

Whether you consider it fortunate or otherwise death didn't stick due to the actions of nurse and here I am.

That's why I'll never tolerate a word said against the British NHS because without them that's one of three - possibly four - times when I nearly didn't make it.

Fortunately due to a quick thinking nurse whilst I had to cope with bouts of chronic bronchitis up until I was thirteen I never quite made it to being a four man lift.

I'm glad you're not dead and I respect nurses the world over, for doing what they do. I don't think being in the NHS transforms them into more caring or talented nurses. That's on them, not the system..

But back to RSV. It's surge is unprecedented considering we had no cases in N Texas last winter, and we are setting records this summer. It's almost like it was pent up with masks and lockdowns .

Also, when certain elected county judges talk about how full our pediatric ICUs are, they fail to mention this factor.