Respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV, is spreading at an unprecedented rate.
“It’s a runny nose, congestion, low fever and difficulty breathing; in fact, it looks very COVID,” Dr. John Bradley, infectious disease of Rady Children’s Hospital.
The virus usually spreads in the winter, months before it subsides in early spring, but this year it has begun to spread to the summer months.
In 2019, there were 5 cases of RSV at Rady Children’s Hospital during the months of June, July and August.
In 2021, there have been 16 cases in a week in August and 70 cases known so far.
Many cases of RSV in adults and children are not a cause for concern, but some serious cases lead to hospitalization.
“Babies when they first become infected, this virus causes huge inflammation in the lungs and babies will have leaky airways, so the fluid comes out of the blood vessels into the airways and as you fill the airways respiratory blood, you can’t exchange oxygen. These babies are starting to breathe faster and faster because they are not able to get oxygen into the bloodstream, ”Bradley said.
Hospitals like Rady Children’s Hospital are navigating this precarious time trying to control RSV numbers while simultaneously fighting COVID-19 and preparing for the next flu season.
The same preventive measures used for COVID are effective in stopping the spread of RSV.
Rady Children’s Hospital is putting in place measures to make sure they can handle the increase in both RSV and the pandemic.
“So is it and we expect flu cases. We have a large group that projects the need for hospital beds, nurses and hospital resources and we have contingency plans, so we are prepared for that,” Bradley said.