Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
RSV, Flu Surges Swamp Hospitals And Schools; Why Are So Many Kids Sick?
Doctors, nurses, and epidemiologists say there are several things at play contributing to the big viral soup — and they are wary of dismissing it with any one simple explanation, like "immunity debt." ... But in conversations with eight leading infectious disease experts, Insider found five complex and interwoven factors that may be driving the viral trends — and none can be easily summed up as an immune deficit. (Brueck, 11/21)
Tensions are rising between parents and school nurses over children showing up to school with coughs, colds and symptoms of viral infections. ... Some parents are sending children to school sick or returning them too quickly after illness, school nurses say, with parents citing an inability to take more time off work and a broader weariness from dealing with so much illness during the Covid-19 pandemic. (Janin, 11/21)
Connecticut’s two children’s hospitals, already dealing with a deluge of respiratory syncytial virus cases among young kids, are bracing for flu cases to swell as the colder weather sets in and a surge in patients tests capacity. “We remain at full capacity, and we have been pretty much at full capacity for the last three months with rare exceptions,” said Dr. Juan Salazar, physician-in-chief at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. (Carlesso, 11/22)
A continued rise in respiratory illness, especially cases of RSV, has pushed Colorado’s pediatric hospital capacity to the brink. On Monday, state health officials said there were only two available pediatric intensive-care beds across the state. (Ingold, 11/22)
As Abhishesh Pokharel carried his 3-week-old daughter into the emergency department, her fingers and toes were turning blue. Other parts of her tiny body were yellow. Something was very wrong. The triage nurse at Greater Baltimore Medical Center knew it, too. She took one look at baby Ayra and gave her father an order: Run! Across the building he sped, his wife right behind him – to the pediatric emergency department. (Zdanowicz, 11/20)
Also —
Flu season is underway. RSV is putting record numbers of children in hospitals. And health professionals are gearing up for another Covid winter. With so many potential viruses in play, it would be helpful if Americans had a way to distinguish between different ailments at home. (Trang, 11/22)
