Children’s hospitals fill up amid early surge in respiratory infections

Many children's hospitals say they are running low on beds because of the surge in respiratory illnesses.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, nearly three-quarters of the beds in children's hospitals are filled. The Washington, DC and Boston areas are seeing a lot of kids in hospitals.

The surge is caused by multiple Viruses. As Ars reported earlier, health officials have warned about a rise in adenoviruses and enteroviruses. Health officials are bracing for an increase in the number of acute flaccid myelitis cases because of the EV-D68 enteroviruses. The CDC has yet to see a rise this fall.

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a huge increase in the number of cases of respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-uhl) virus. In a small percentage of cases,RSV can be life threatening, particularly in infants and young children with underlying health conditions.

The peaks in recent pre-pandemic years can be seen in late December. According to the CDC, there were over 7,000 cases in the week of October 15th, which is the most recent week for which figures are available. There were 4,000 weekly counts in the peak of the case.

There are other viruses getting an early start this autumn. Flu circulation is off to a good start, and officials worry that it could be a bad season.

Experts are doubling down on calls for flu shots because of the cold weather. Although reported cases of COVID-19 are not showing signs of a dramatic upswing, the use of at- home testing makes official case counts difficult to interpret, and experts expect a winter wave of COVID-19.

Scott Gottlieb, the former FDA Commissioner, said in a Sunday interview that it was a good time to get the flu vaccine. We have flu cases right now. This might be a more aggressive flu season. The vaccine seems to be a good match for the H3N2 strain. Now is a good time to get the vaccine because it looks like it will be protective.

Experts think that the fall and winter are going to be rough because of the Pandemic-related disruptions. The normal transmission cycles of respiratory viruses were wrecked by the global explosion of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The reprieve from common viruses has created a larger-than-normal pool of susceptible young children as well as adults with waning immunity from previous exposure.