ALARM: RSV Is Getting Bad. I Don't Know Why The Media isn't Talking. RSV Hits Adults Too.

[SuperCoder]

I don't understand why our CDC and media are so bad at this.

All the media says on every report I am reading is that it's very dangerous to children. But nothing else. But everyone needs to assume they are going to get it. And there is NO vaccine yet.

A relative of mine is still in the emergency room and has been since Sunday. They were (and are) doing so badly that they aren't sure what the outcome is going to be yet.

The emergency room tested for the flu. That wasn't it. They also tested for Covid-19. That wasn't it.

Then they tested for RSV just for the hell of it. Bingo. This is in a fully grown adult here. Not a child.

Read that...just for the hell of it. There isn't even a real testing program in place to catch this. And the media isn't even warning adults about getting RSV. I wouldn't be surprised if RSV is now airborne already. I hope that it is not.

Now, my relative has to use an inhaler to breathe and they aren't sure when this is going away.

You want to know how they got it? By going to the pharmacy and getting their flu shot. Without. A. Mask.

I have never stopped wearing a mask, getting vaccinated, or using gloves since the start of the covid-19 pandemic. And I am not about to stop doing that now.

I highly recommend for anyone who cares about not getting any of these diseases to do the same.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I think I'm getting over RSV. Still have congestion this morning.

Started last week, Monday. Miserable. Called out sick from work. Negative Covid test. Dizziness.

Possible origins:
1) Flu shot at pharmacy w/o mask
2) Four year student with yellow snot flowing out of her nostrils -- the school nurse wouldn't send her home.

[hlthe2b]

2. You have a pretty good grasp, but while elderly can get it due to reductions in natural immunity

and immune function over time, RSV is a virus that nearly all older children and adults have been exposed to over time and become immune-- and natural immunity does protect most of us. The issue with the explosion of cases in the young is that they (an entire cohort of young children) did not become exposed as they typically would have during COVID and thus were all susceptible now. Because RSV can be deadly to the youngest among us (premies are generally treated with antivirals regularly to prevent early infection), this is highly alarming and yes, the fragile elderly among us can be at risk as well. And yes, the media should be talking about this as well.

So, I agree, masks are a really smart measure along with EARLY (NOW, FOLKS) flu vaccine, COVID bivalent booster) AND HANDWASHING. The latter is frequently underemphasized but both influenza and RSV are dramatically increased in transmission when good hand-washing precautions fall away. Thus, kids are the most exposed in this regard.

Sadly, we can also predict future rampant explosions in vaccine-preventable diseases like pertussis and even measles in the future given so many young children missed their vaccine schedules and anti-vaxx attitudes fostered by COVID have so permeated beyond.

[SheltieLover]

7. Ty so much for clarifying!

I'll bet this year's flu season is going to be a whopper since so many people have just decided covid is no longer a concern.

I've not read whether this year's flu vax is expected to be on target for whichever variant is floating around this year. Have you seen anything on this?

I had the bivalent Pfizer & flu shot the same day, a few wks ago.

This RSV concern is frightening for sure!

Omaha Steve recently posted info on promising info on new vax for expectant moms. Looks very promising!

In the meantime... 😷

[hlthe2b]

17. Thus far, the flu vaccine appears to be a good match.

[Siwsan]

22. I had both vaccinations on the same day, too

Got the pneumonia vaccine a few weeks earlier.

I'm still masking, hand sanitizing and avoiding crowds, even masked. My last brush with Covid, when my visiting friend tested positive, had convinced me that limiting my outings and spending most of my time with my cats isn't such a bad deal.

[SuperCoder]

9. While my relative in question...

...is older, she has zero health issues. Not even high blood pressure.

She is not what you would consider an unhealthy old person with health issues who is part of the population most susceptible.

[hlthe2b]

18. She is an individual and as such her immunity to RSV (which most people have over their lifetime)

can vary. When we make population-based recommendations, they do not argue against individual differences. Just like the proverbial bell-shaped curve in statistics. Some fall in the middle and unfortunately, some fall out at both ends.

I hope your family member is responding and will soon recover. That has to be frightening for them.

[ancianita]

24. Thank you. This is really helpful.

[marybourg]

3. The media I read has been reporting it.

Are you perhaps confusing infotainment with reportage?

[Karma13612]

10. And they had a quick

Piece on ABC news just last night.

[inthewind21]

42. You mean

Like you are doing right now? Hello pot, seen kettle lately?

[MissMillie]

4. Well, Worcester, MA is urging people to wear masks

to stem the spread of RSV.

Since we've been warned that flu will be an issue this year, not a bad idea.

[Dorian Gray]

5. RSV is a regular old virus

that hits hard in the fall. I think that we have had a few years of mask wearing, so it's hitting little ones who have avoided it harder than before. It's concerning, and we should be prepared for the increase in hospitalizations, but I think it's not getting that much press bc it's not an unusual virus that we havne't seen before.

[Shrek]

6. My grandkids all had it

The oldest ended up in the ER because her fever was so high and persistent (they're all fine now).

[SheltieLover]

8. Glad they are all ok!)

That had to be a scary experience for them & your family.

[Karma13612]

11. It was on ABC evening news last night. .nt.

[GoCubsGo]

39. They have been reporting on it for several days.

They always mention that adults 65 years and older are more vulnerable to it. I'm willing to bet that all the other networks are doing the same. At least the mainstream ones.

[FalloutShelter]

12. Both of my granddaughters have it.

Homecoming dance was last week and lots of kids for sick. My girls are doing okay and we hope they will recover soon, but it is like a runaway train here in PA among school kids.

[jmbar2]

13. Thanks so much for posting this

Hearing about it from one of the "family" here at DU is a good reminder that these cases are not just statistics. Still masking.

[luvs2sing]

14. Our neighbors got it..

then got Covid on top of it. Young couple in their 30s with a four-year old and eighteen-month old, all sick. They have been locked down for over a week now.

[niyad]

15. I was just on the World Health Org website, which specifically mentioned an

increased risk to older people.

[Freddie]

16. Is there a treatment for it? Antivirals?

My 8 yo grandson is sick with a “bad cold” but I have to wonder. He did not get RSV as a baby like many kids do. His mom was hospitalized with it when she was 6 months old, a scary time.

[IronLionZion]

20. Not yet, just cold medicines

https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/about/symptoms.html

[AllyCat]

28. Preemies born at 30 weeks or earlier qualify for Synagis.

It’s a monthly antibody injection. Not a vaccine. Little preemies have no protection from this. We advise families at discharge not to take them in public during RSV season

[IronLionZion]

19. CDC has warned of risks to infants and older adults

https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html

A lot of people in my area are sick with something these days, colds, flu, COVID, or RSV.

I have hyperactive airway disease (non-contagious) so every time I cough people want to run away from me.

[Sympthsical]

21. I read a story a few days ago about twin infants

It was wholly depressing.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/30/us/twins-rsv-virus-death-ctrp

Here's a really good NPR article posted a few hours ago on what to look out for and what to do about it.

https://www.npr.org/2022/11/02/1133040571/rsv-questions-answers-treatment-options

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. RSV has been in the news a bit here and there for a week on CBC Radio in Canada. . . nt

[electric_blue68]

25. Been seeing RSV stuff on my FB feed for a few weeks. Never heard of it

[AllyCat]

26. And masking would slow the spread of this too.

But Republicans are not pro-life so they will rail against ANY effort to stop this from spreading.

The only thing we have is Synagis for the premature. And insurance companies keep dropping the gestational age at birth for this to be covered because they don’t want to shell out the $1000/mo for the 6 month treatment.

Breastmilk doesn’t confer much immunity to this disease.

[mgardener]

27. We are fully boostered

I got COVID after going to Disney. Thought we were careful.....
We wear masks all the time in stores.
Tested at home, local HD does not require reporting + home test results.

I have heard of at least 2 cases of RSV in children, both requiring hospitilization.

Stay safe everyone!
And wear a mask!

[Texin]

30. I don't take any of these respiratory viruses lightly. I still mask in public.

This fall-winter, I believe it's imperative for people to do so. I was listening to Dr. Fauci last week about the RSV virus. They've been testing vaccines for about the last dozen years or so, and he said they've not been successful in creating an effective one. But, I just read this morning that Pfizer has had a successful trial and they're just a few steps away from rolling it out, or so they've said.

[marmar]

31. I've actually heard quite a bit about it lately.

[notinkansas]

32. I'm pretty sure I've had it too.

I went to the doctor after being sick for about a week. They tested for covid and flu - both negative. Maybe they didn't have any tests for RSV. The entire waiting room was filled with people who were coughing. I'm fully boosted. Had the flu shot. The only place I've been without a mask is an apple orchard, but admittedly it was pretty crowded.

In addition to the coughing I had a nonstop generally low grade fever - 99+ degrees, occasionally going up to 101 along with extreme fatigue. That was pretty miserable, but no breathing issues.

[Act_of_Reparation]

34. It's very likely literally everyone here has had it multiple times throughout their lives.

RSV is extremely common. Most often it is indistinguishable from the common cold or flu.

[notinkansas]

38. Maybe, but this was pretty distinguishable from anything I've ever had before.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

33. RSV - Respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-uhl) virus

[Iggo]

41. Thank you. I was getting to the point where I didn't care anymore.

“Nobody cares about my TLA.”

[raccoon]

35. The media is too busy covering the shenanigans of the billionaires. NT

[Act_of_Reparation]

36. You're talking about RSV as if it is some kind of new superbug.

It isn't. It's extremely common. Everyone here has likely had it already, multiple times over.

The media is talking about its effects on children because it is a leading cause of hospitalization for infants, while in the vast majority of adults, the disease is indistinguishable from a cold, if they are symptomatic at all.

[Mad_Machine76]

37. I've heard of RSV

but I always thought it only hit young kids and am just learning that it can hit adults too. They had to start restricting visitors at a local children's hospital because it's getting bad right now.

[Native]

40. We should have an FDA approved vaccine by the end of this year.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/01/health/rsv-vaccine-pfizer-fda/index.html

[DelMar dem]

43. RSV test

I went to my doctor a couple of weeks ago with upper respiratory symptoms and a low grade fever. They tested for Covid, flu and RSV. All were negative, so it was some other kind of misery. They wouldn't give me the flu shot, however. I'm going back tomorrow to see if the lingering cough is reason enough to hold off on the shot. I'm still masking, but it seems there are a lot of people who aren't, and a lot of them are coughing.

[TigressDem]

44. Pfizer is getting a move on it..... Phase 3

https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-announces-positive-top-line-data-phase-3-global

Pfizer Announces Positive Top-Line Data of Phase 3 Global Maternal Immunization Trial for its Bivalent Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine Candidate
Tuesday, November 01, 2022 - 06:30am

Vaccine efficacy of 81.8% was observed against severe medically attended lower respiratory tract illness due to RSV in infants from birth through the first 90 days of life with high efficacy of 69.4% demonstrated through the first six months of life

The RSVpreF investigational vaccine was well-tolerated with no safety concerns for both vaccinated individuals and their newborns

Results met one of the study protocol’s pre-specified regulatory success criteria, and Pfizer plans to submitits first regulatory application by end of 2022

If approved, Pfizer’s RSV vaccine candidate could be the first maternal vaccine available to help prevent this common and potentially life-threatening respiratory illness in young infants

Pfizer currently the only company with an investigational vaccine being prepared for regulatory applications for both infants through maternal immunization and older adults to help protect against RSV