A surge in cases of a common respiratory virus is filling up pediatric hospital beds around the U.S. The early and swift arrival of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is stretching the limits of an already exhausted health care system. Layer on COVID and the flu, and you’ve got the makings of another unpleasant pandemic winter.
This isn’t the kind of triple threat anyone wants to see. But there are plenty of ways to lower the risk of each of these viruses — both in the short term and over the long term.
RSV is typically nothing more than an annoying cold or cough for most children, but it can be dangerous for others — particularly infants, babies born prematurely and kids with underlying medical problems or who are immunocompromised. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 58,000 kids under the age of 5 are hospitalized with the virus each year in the U.S. RSV is also risky for older adults, killing some 14,000 people over the age of 65 each year in the U.S.
