Nation Seeing a Spike in RSV Infections in Children

Tuesday, October 25th, 2022 -- 11:00 AM

(By Vanessa Romo, Wisconsin Public Radio) An unseasonably early spike in respiratory syncytial virus cases among young children is pushing some hospitals to capacity.

According to Vanessa Romo with Wisconsin Public Radio, RSV, as it's called, is a respiratory virus that mostly manifests as a mild illness with cold-like symptoms in adults but can cause pneumonia and bronchiolitis in very young children. It can be life-threatening in infants and young adults.

Most years, infections typically occur in the late fall and winter, often overlapping with flu season. But at least since last year, physicians have begun seeing surges starting during summer months.

Children's hospitals in the Washington, D.C. area, including Children's National Hospital, Inova Fairfax and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, are at or near capacity, DCist reported. Connecticut Children's Hospital in Hartford has had its pediatric in-patient beds full for the last few weeks, WTNH reported.

With no indication of the spread slowing down, officials there are seeking the help of the National Guard and FEMA to set up tents in order to expand capacity. In Texas, doctors at Cook Children's hospital in Fort Worth told ABC News they are treating some 300 RSV patients a day.

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