A small child in California dies from a combination of influenza and RSV: this is the first infant death from the virus this season

The state Department of Public Health reported Nov. 14 that influenza and RSV have claimed the life of a child under 2022 for the first time in the 2023-5 season, reports AMP.

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To protect the family's privacy, government officials said they would not disclose any further information about the child.

«Мы всем сердцем переживаем за семью этого маленького ребенка, — сказал доктор Томас Арагон, директор департамента здравоохранения штата Калифорния и государственный санитарный врач. — Это трагическое событие служит суровым напоминанием о том, что респираторные вирусы могут быть смертельными, особенно для очень маленьких детей и младенцев».

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A type of virus that causes respiratory tract infections. It is the main cause of lower respiratory tract infections in newborns and children. Treatment is limited to supportive care, possibly using an oxygen mask.

In the United States, up to 60% of infants become infected with respiratory syncytial virus during the first epidemic season, and virtually all children are infected by the age of two to three years. Among all those infected with this virus, only 2-3% develop capillary bronchitis and have indications for hospitalization. Human respiratory syncytial virus infection activates the immune defense system, which declines over time much faster than other viral infections, so a person can be infected with this virus several times. Some newborns may be infected several times even during the same epidemic season. Severe infections are much more common among the elderly.

In most cases, in children and adults, MS infection occurs as a disease of the upper respiratory tract: in the form of rhinitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis. Asymptomatic infection is uncommon. The incubation period lasts from 3 to 5 days. The total duration of the disease ranges from 5–7 days to 3 weeks. The most common symptom of MS infection is a cough that is initially unproductive. Then, on the 3-4th day of illness, sputum appears.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists this virus as the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under 1 year of age in the United States. In some children, Human orthopneumovirus can cause bronchiolitis and then severe respiratory illness leading to hospitalization and, in rare cases, death. Other symptoms of infection in children include weakness, lethargy, poor or reduced appetite, and sometimes fever.

Periodic wheezing and bronchial asthma are more common among people who have had a severe infection with respiratory syncytial virus in the first months of life, compared with healthy people.

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On November 11, Aragon sent a letter to all health facilities, notifying them that RSV was already “reaching levels similar to seasonal peaks in previous years.” Last year, the virus peaked in December, but in the previous three years it didn't peak until January or February.

The Department of Health has recommended that all medical facilities, including inpatient and outpatient facilities that do not have pediatric services, take short-term measures to expand capacity to provide screening and treatment for pediatric patients.

«Мы вступаем в напряженный зимний вирусный сезон — с распространением РСВ, гриппа и COVID-19 — и призываем родителей и опекунов как можно скорее вакцинировать своих детей от гриппа и COVID-19, — сказал Арагон. — Также важно следовать основным советам по профилактике, таким как частое мытье рук, ношение маски и пребывание дома во время болезни, чтобы замедлить распространение микробов».

In a statement, Kaiser Permanente officials said, "We are seeing an increase in RSV in our hospitals in Northern California, but we have the capacity to treat patients."

State data shows flu case detection in labs has increased by 14%, and while these numbers show virus activity remains low across Northern California, surveillance systems show flu activity in Sacramento is rising sharply.

Data on COVID-19 is harder to assess now that many people are being tested for the disease at home. The data shows a sharp increase in COVID activity in Sacramento compared to two weeks earlier, but a decrease in activity in Davis.

The data show that vaccinated people are much less likely to die or be hospitalized. Government officials noted that in September 2022, unvaccinated people were 19 times more likely to die from COVID-3,1 than people who had been vaccinated with at least one primary series.

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«Мы призываем всех на индивидуальном уровне делать все возможное, чтобы защитить себя и других, включая тестирование на COVID-19, когда они плохо себя чувствуют, и оставаться дома и в изоляции от других, когда они больны, — заявили официальные лица Kaiser. — Мы призываем людей делать прививки от гриппа и прививки от COVID-19 или ревакцинации, которые продолжают защищать от тяжелых заболеваний и смерти. И мы по-прежнему рекомендуем носить маски и соблюдать социальную дистанцию, особенно во время всплесков заболеваний в закрытых помещениях среди других людей. Эти меры помогают защитить наиболее уязвимых в наших сообществах от COVID-19».

Vaccination is one of the most important ways to ensure there are enough hospital beds to treat all patients who need emergency care this fall and winter, public health officials say.

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