United States: The respiratory illness increases with a decrease in the temperature, and this season isn’t an exception, as the United States has witnessed a surge in cases related to RSV infection.

The increasing cases have raised concerns and worries about another pandemic because of the triple threat looming in the US. These concerns were addressed by the medical director of hospital epidemiology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Dr Andi Shane, stated that the RSV season started very early this season.

Shane further stated, “Thankfully, RSV seems to be declining a little bit . . . the challenge is that we have been seeing quite a lot of children who are having influenza infections,” according to 11Alive+.

Surge in flu activities in Georgia and other Southeast states!

While emphasizing the increasing flu activities in Georgia and other Southeast states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the regions have “very high” levels of flu activity.

The reports underlined that the Georgia Department of Public Health has registered more than double the flu hospital admissions of 201 people in the week ending on December 23 as compared to the week ending on December 9.

Dr Shane further said, “We’re always busy, but that’s what we’re trained for, and that’s what we’re ready for. We’ve had surges in past seasons. What we typically see is flu starting after the winter break, usually in January and early February, so this is a little bit of an early start to the flu season, which is unusual for us.”

In addition to this, while having a conversation with 11Alive+, she added that the health authorities have raised concerns because the majority of children who are seeking treatment have taken the vaccine against the flu. She also mentioned that the severity of the cases varies.  

Besides this, Dr Shane stated, “Flu makes you feel lousy. Our main concern with children is being able to eat and drink.” She also praised the effectiveness of the vaccine and stated, “The flu vaccine does a very good job at preventing severe illness and preventing hospitalizations. It’s a safe and very effective vaccine.”

According to the reports, she then urged the general public to consider the flu vaccine to protect themselves from the infection.

In this regard, she can be quoted saying, “We really are urging parents to make sure that their children are vaccinated against flu and against COVID. It is not too late to get either one of those vaccines, not only for children but anybody in the household who is taking care of the child.”

Along with this, Dr Shane outlined that the United States has also been reporting cases related to rhinovirus and COVID-19; however, the surge in their cases was expected during this time of the year.

11Alive+ claimed that the Medical Director of Hospital Epidemiology also said, “This aligns with what other places are seeing around the country, both in children’s hospitals and also in our adult colleagues.”

While elaborating more, she stated, “We are seeing an increase in children with COVID but thankfully, so far, not an increase in children who have MIS-C, which is the post-inflammatory condition that a rare number of children may develop after.”

Additionally, she advised parents to visit a pediatrician for their child if they are concerned about the increasing threat. Dr Shane asserted, “Parents really know their children best . . . Ideally, a pediatrician who knows the child is the best person to seek medical care. If a pediatrician is not available, an urgent care center. If a child is having difficulty breathing or there’s some other concern that a parent thinks that the child needs emergent care, they should bring them directly to an emergency room.”