We’re off to an early start with the flu and RSV season this year with more cases reported in November than in previous seasons. Respiratory syncytial virus (or RSV) is a respiratory virus that mainly affects little kids and circulates during the winter. There’s no vaccine for RSV- but for those babies that are at highest risk (premature infants), doctors can give a preventive treatment throughout the season. The number of cases is still pretty small (about 100 so far this year), but we’ve had a 40% increase in cases over last year. That doesn’t always mean that there will be more cases this season, but it may just be a sign that our cases will happen earlier.
Once RSV infections begin to increase we usually have high levels for a few months. Doctors who give RSV antibody to high-risk infants might want to start incorporate this info into their treatment plans soon- and it’s time for hospitals to start thinking about implementing their RSV prevention plans. Our flu numbers have also been high for this season (cases this week double from last week), so now is the perfect time to go out and get your flu shot. If you want to keep a watch on the numbers, our flu and RSV website has a host of useful information including periodic reports.
