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Despite a relatively late start to the respiratory disease season, low vaccination rates threaten that trend, and rapid increases in some diseases are already putting children at increased risk.
Overall, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predict This season could be similar to or better than the last, but the peak rate of hospitalizations from respiratory viruses is far above what was typical in years before the COVID-19 pandemic. Very likely.
However, the current level of coronavirus infections in the United States is about the lowest since the start of the pandemic and is on the decline, according to the CDC. data Emergency department visits for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (known as RSV) have also declined, but are starting to increase.
There’s still a lot of potential for change, experts say.
Dr. Andy Pekos, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School, said, “Historically, we’ve seen a rise in cases about a week after Thanksgiving, and we’ve seen a rise in cases between then and the Christmas holiday.” “We can better understand the season depending on how quickly it increases.” public health.
Although the possibility of new coronavirus variants is factored into the CDC’s forecast for the respiratory disease season, vaccination is expected to play an important role in preventing hospitalization for influenza, new coronavirus, and RSV. will be carried out,” the department said.
Coronavirus vaccination rates are at about the same low levels as this time last year, according to the CDC. data is shown. Fewer than one in five adults and about one in 12 children have received the latest COVID-19 vaccination this season.
And most adults (about 60%) don’t plan to get the latest coronavirus vaccine, according to survey data released last month by the Pew Research Center. Most adults who didn’t plan to get vaccinated said they either didn’t think they needed the shot or were worried about side effects. About a quarter said they do not usually receive vaccines.
Influenza vaccination rates are also low. Data through mid-November shows only about 37% of adults and 33% of children have received a flu shot this season. According to the CDC, childhood flu vaccination rates are significantly lower than they have been at this point in the past six seasons. data;This rate is nearly 12 percentage points lower than the pre-pandemic season and 5 percentage points lower than last season.
“Vaccines don’t necessarily guarantee that a child will avoid the disease, but they generally reduce the severity of the disease,” said Elizabeth Choma, a pediatric nurse at Loudoun Medical Group and an assistant professor at George Washington University. “It provides enough immune support to ensure that the disease is brought down.” University Faculty of Nursing. For example, influenza statistics show that most childhood deaths from influenza occur in children who did not receive the influenza vaccination.
Experts say respiratory illnesses pose unique risks to children.
“Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers have narrow airways, so when they become inflamed, breathing becomes more difficult,” says Choma. “Furthermore, infants are obligatory nasal breathers, meaning they rely on breathing through their noses. Congestion can make it difficult to breathe, make it difficult to perform daily activities such as drinking, and can lead to dehydration. There may be increased risk.”
RSV infection is usually mild in adults, but infants and older adults are at increased risk of severe illness.
Test positivity rate for respiratory syncytial virus is rising significantly faster than influenza or COVID-19, CDC says data is shown. And child hospitalization rates are rising rapidly, with about 2.4 RSV hospitalizations per 100,000 children in the week ending November 16, more than double the rate a month earlier. . There were more than 16 hospitalizations per 100,000 infants that week, up from about six a month earlier. Meanwhile, the adult hospitalization rate has not exceeded 0.5 so far this season.
Another respiratory disease known as walking pneumonia, caused by the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae, is also rapidly spreading among young children, straining children’s hospitals.
First of all, CDC warned Although the number of these infections increased in October, the trend has not improved. After the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) subsided for several years during the pandemic, the number of infected people will begin to increase worldwide in 2023. But this year’s U.S. surveillance data suggests hospital visits peaked in August and have continued to rise since then, especially among children. The increase in children between the ages of 2 and 4 is particularly noteworthy because walking pneumonia is not usually a major contributing factor to illness in this age group, according to the CDC.
A surge in respiratory illnesses could strain hospital systems and exacerbate ongoing supply chain challenges, especially in busy emergency departments, said Dr. Tori Mack, chief medical officer at the Children’s Hospital Association. said.
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Just a few weeks into the respiratory disease season, some children’s hospitals are already feeling the impact, he said. For example, the emergency room at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, is reaching capacity as hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus and pneumonia increase.
Central Virginia is also seeing a spike in pediatric pneumonia cases requiring hospitalization, said Dr. David Marcello, chief of children’s hospital medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Children’s Hospital. said He speculated that this trend is “likely to get worse as pollen and mold counts increase, the cold weather keeps everyone indoors, and people gather for the holidays.” I am doing it.
“For years, children’s hospitals have been anticipating this surge in cases at this time of year and deploying the necessary expertise to care for children, especially younger children who are more severely affected by this disease. I’ve learned,” Mack said. “Needs due to the effects of respiratory disease can increase dramatically, so it is important that children have access to the care they need and the expertise of pediatric specialists who can respond quickly.”
