MADISON, Wis. — Cases of respiratory syncytial virus — a respiratory disease that many people contract in their childhood — have been on the rise this summer, which UW Health experts say is unusual for this time of year.
Cases have been on the rise since July, but Dr. Gregory DeMuri, an infectious disease pediatrician at UW Health, said cases are typically more common from January through March.
“We didn’t see it this winter because people were wearing masks, they were staying home, kids weren’t in school or daycare, people were social distancing, so kids just didn’t have contact to spread it,” DeMuri said. “But then this summer when people started gathering more, masking less and kids went back to daycare, we saw this explosion in cases in RSV in July and August and now into September.”
Like COVID-19, RSV is transmitted via respiratory droplets. In some cases, it can lead to hospitalization. The two diseases also share a number of symptoms, including fever, cough, runny nose and a sore throat.
Given the recent surge of COVID-19 prompted by the Delta variant, Dr. DeMuri said it’s important for kids to get tested and quarantine to avoid spreading either disease in the community.
While there are ongoing studies to see how the two viruses interact, UW Health hasn’t seen many dual infections of COVID-19 and RSV in kids.
“Having RSV right now really does put extra stress on hospitals and health systems and in certain parts of the country where cases and hospitalization of RSV are high along with COVID, it is just making matters worse,” said Demuri. “Here in Madison we are able to handle it but it is something we are closely monitoring.”
Because RSV is a respiratory disease, masking can help prevent the spread. Good hygiene and disinfection are both important steps.
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