While children’s hospitals and pediatric offices across the country have seen a rise in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases, this current wave is also impacting older adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about six out of every 100,000 adults have been hospitalized with the virus—a rate that is 10 times higher than for this time of year, CNN reports.
“Along with the increase in RSV in children came an increase in RSV in adults,” explains Dr. Anh Le, a California-based pediatrician with One Medical, a membership-based primary-care practice. “The usual RSV season has been earlier than usual, as numbers started to increase in September. It’s likely that preventative measures related to COVID led to the shift in the season.”
