Respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, cases continue to soar throughout the U.S.
According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the surge in RSV cases has begun to plateau in the Hartford area, but in the southern part of the state, numbers still remain on the incline.
“It hasn’t subsided, again, this is a continuation. If anything, it has increased,” Physician-In-Chief at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Dr. Juan Salazar said.
According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, positive PCR detections for RSV have increased roughly 44% this October compared to 2021.
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“While obviously the pediatric disease is problematic for many, many reasons, especially in young infants, it is also something that affects older individuals,” Salazar said.
Doctors say normal symptoms for RSV include cough, runny nose and fever. Though adults are also at risk, CT Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said over the last 30 days, the vast majority of cases have been in children under the age of two.
“These children were born during the pandemic. They were probably not taken out and socialized as much over the last year or two, and so this respiratory viral season, they are now getting exposure to RSV,” Juthani said.
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Right now, this surge in cases has put a strain on pediatric hospitals throughout the state.
Cyrilla Stoll, who took her son to Connecticut Children’s last week, said she was in the hospital for over nine hours as healthcare professionals were flooded with patients.
“You saw kids coming in on nebulizers, little babies in the little oxygen cribs,” Stoll said.
While healthcare officials have discussed plans of increased help, Juthani said so far the state has been able to absorb the spike.
“Because we have capacity across the state in both adult and pediatric capacity, I’m not concerned about that, however, part of what we’re trying to do today is alert people in Connecticut that we could get to a point as the winter goes on where that could be an issue,” Juthani said.
She added that getting a diagnosis for RSV isn’t necessarily the most important thing to do. She said what people should do to protect themselves is prioritize common hygienic precautions like hand washing, covering your mouth or wearing a mask if necessary.
Juthani also stressed the importance of getting a flu vaccine and COVID-19 shot in order to help ease the strain on hospital resources.
