{"id":66582,"date":"2022-11-07T13:50:56","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T20:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=66582"},"modified":"2022-11-07T13:50:56","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T20:50:56","slug":"rsv-is-bad-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/rsv-is-bad-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Is RSV bad this year? Yes. Adult hospitals are stepping up to help."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Is RSV bad this year? Unfortunately, the answer is “yes.” Children’s hospitals are caring for so many sick patients that hospitals for adults are stepping up to assist. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

RSV is so bad this year that sick kids are inundating children\u2019s hospitals around the country, prompting doctors at hospitals for adults to assist by caring for some teens.<\/p>\n

UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora<\/a> has opened its intensive care and medical inpatient units to teens to help ease crowding at neighboring Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The crush of patients at children\u2019s hospitals is similar to the March, 2020 influx of COVID-19 patients at hospitals that serve adults.<\/p>\n

Typically, providers at University of Colorado Hospital care for adults, while children and teens receive care at children\u2019s hospitals. During the worst days of the pandemic, providers at Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado had space to care for some young adults who otherwise might have received care at hospitals for adults.<\/p>\n

Now, the trend has flipped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in trouble then. Now they\u2019re in dire straits, and we\u2019re able to help,\u201d said Dr. Michelle Barron<\/a>, senior medical director of infection prevention and control for UCHealth and one of the top infectious disease experts in Colorado<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While UCHealth hospitals can care for kids and adults with RSV, the overflow teens coming from children\u2019s hospitals may need help with other health problems. It\u2019s common, for instance, for some teens with complicated orthopedic issues \u2014 including those who need limb reconstruction \u2014 to receive help at University of Colorado Hospital, Barron said.<\/p>\n

And UCHealth hospitals in northern Colorado routinely care for pediatric patients.<\/p>\n

The volume of children who have needed hospitalization has risen at Poudre Valley Hospital<\/a> in Fort Collins and Greeley Hospital<\/a>, said Dr. Diana Breyer<\/a>, chief medical officer for UCHealth\u2019s northern region.<\/p>\n

Breyer and other chief medical officers at Colorado hospitals routinely keep in touch with one another.<\/p>\n

\u201cAcross the state, we have good working relationships. There\u2019s a lot of communication,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

And at the Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>, doctors with adult, veterans and children\u2019s hospitals are typically affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Barron said.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren\u2019s (Hospital) helped us during the pandemic when COVID-19 was overwhelming our capacity. They took COVID patients for us. We\u2019ve always assisted one another,\u201d said Barron, who is also a\u00a0professor<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0University of Colorado School of Medicine.<\/a><\/p>\n

Cases of RSV \u2014 which stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus<\/a> \u2014 are so high early in the season this year that Colorado health officials recently sent out a health alert to medical providers, schools and daycare centers, urging them to be aware that RSV is spreading widely and to help families be on guard.<\/p>\n

Over the last month, there has been double the typical number of RSV cases in the Denver area, according to state health officials.<\/p>\n

Nearly all the RSV-related hospitalizations thus far this year have been among children. That\u2019s causing unprecedented patient volumes at Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado, according to Dr. Kevin Carney, associate chief medical officer.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur pediatric intensive care units, inpatient units and emergency departments are operating at remarkably increased volumes and on some days, maximum capacity,\u201d said Carney, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist.<\/p>\n

Along with RSV, doctors also see early spikes in flu cases.<\/p>\n

RSV typically poses the greatest risk to infants and younger children. Parents should seek medical help immediately if their babies or children are having trouble breathing.<\/p>\n

Teens and adults also can get RSV, but often the virus may seem like a cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can cause symptoms like a runny nose, cough, fever and chills,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

Of course, those can also be the symptoms people can get with either COVID-19 or the flu, Barron said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s wise to get tested.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re sick, it could be COVID-19, flu or RSV,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

There are treatments for both COVID-19 and the flu. In both cases, it helps to start these treatments quickly after the onset of the illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have Paxlovid and monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19 and Tamiflu for the flu,\u201d Barron said. \u201cSo, we have measures that are valuable if you get tested. The other reason to get tested is if you have a vulnerable person in your home.\u201d<\/p>\n

RSV can be dangerous for people of all ages with compromised immune systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be life-threatening in a transplant patient, cause pneumonia, and be very serious in other immunocompromised people,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

With RSV spreading so widely this fall, along with flu and COVID-19, Barron advises high-risk people to be very careful.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who have underlying lung diseases like asthma or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) might be affected. They can develop a lot of wheezing and trouble breathing. We certainly see this in children. That\u2019s why so many may end up hospitalized. They\u2019re having issues breathing,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

Infants who are at risk for RSV can receive a monoclonal antibody called palivizumab.<\/p>\n

And pregnant women may soon be able to take an RSV vaccine. Pfizer is seeking approval now for a new vaccine<\/a>. The immunities would then pass to their babies and reduce the chances that infants would get the illness.<\/p>\n

Barron and others strongly recommend vaccines during pregnancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cCOVID-19 and flu can have serious impacts on pregnant women. So, vaccines are a win-win for mothers and babies,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Barron advises parents to be attentive but shouldn\u2019t panic about RSV and other infectious illnesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWearing masks, washing hands frequently, and cleaning surfaces are important infection prevention measures against these viruses that we are all familiar with now, and they work,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see RSV every year. We see flu every year. The issue now is that because of the pandemic and all of the measures we\u2019ve had in place, you have a larger group of individuals who have never been exposed to these illnesses. Herd immunity doesn\u2019t exist,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Here is additional information about RSV and other infectious illnesses from experts at Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado:<\/strong><\/h2>\n