The latest spike is months early and it's pushing care facilities to capacity. Children under the age of 5 are most vulnerable.
"Last year, more people were wearing face masks and children were more likely to stay home while sick," Dr. Laura Romano"This year, parents are sending their children to daycare and school for the first time following two years of the pandemic. ... Children who haven't been previously exposed to respiratory viruses are getting sick," Romano said.
Health officials in King County, Wash., are also alarmed as they brace for more cases once winter hits. Dr. Russell Migita with Seattle Children's Hospital King 5 News they are seeing about 20 to 30 positive cases every day, adding that those are"unprecedented" figures.RSV symptoms are similar to a cold and can be harmless in adults, but the CDC says children under the age of 5 are the most affected group. According to the agency's, each year approximately 58,000 children in that age range are hospitalized for RSV. The next most vulnerable group are adults over 65, in whom the infection causes 14,000 deaths a year.
RSV can lead to bronchiolitis, an infection that causes airways to become inflamed and clogged with mucus, making it difficult to breathe. If the infection travels to the lung sacs, it can result in pneumonia.talked to NPR last year"A lot of the babies under a year of age will have trouble breathing. They stop eating because they can't breathe and eat at the same time. And they're wheezing, so they're in respiratory distress," Goza said.