RSV trends concern doctors
Dec. 1—TRIAD — Health care providers in the Piedmont Triad who have been worried about the possibility of substantially more RSV cases now say their concerns have become reality.
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist sounded the alarm during a briefing Thursday about the rise in RSV respiratory infections, which tend to affect younger children and older adults, and the other major health systems in the region agreed that the situation has grown worse.
Doctors with the Atrium system, which includes Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist High Point Medical Center, have recorded a worrisome increase in children being treated through clinics and emergency departments for RSV and respiratory illnesses other than COVID-19, the health system said.
Doctors are seeing more of these cases than usual for this time of the year, said Dr. Michael Mitchell, medical director of the Brenner Children's Hospital emergency department.
"Typically RSV is a Christmas to Easter disease," he said. "This year has been entirely different, and this fall has been particularly bad."
Novant Health also reports that the health system is recording increased numbers of hospitalizations due to RSV, the flu and influenza-like illnesses across all health system hospitals, including Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center.
Dr. David Priest, Novant's chief safety, quality and epidemiology officer, said he expects "a very challenging respiratory virus season" for 2022-23 and encourages all who are eligible to get a flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine and boosters.
There's no vaccine for RSV, though researchers say progress is being made developing one.
Cone Health, which has a medical facility in north High Point, also has seen an increase in respiratory illnesses, said Dr. Michael Cinoman, medical director of pediatric care at Cone.
"Influenza remains very prominent in the community and is causing a lot of illness. The number of children coming to our children's emergency department at Moses Cone Hospital has leveled off somewhat but is still much higher than our usual winter respiratory season," Cinoman said
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist officials say patients seeking help with respiratory infections can use the 24/7 urgent care clinic that recently opened at 111 Gateway Center Drive in Kernersville.
On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, D-6th, called on President Joe Biden's administration to declare a pediatric health emergency to address RSV nationwide. The declaration of a pediatric health emergency would allow the federal and state governments to waive certain restrictions on providers' ability to triage cases, move patients and implement telehealth approaches to preserve pediatric hospital capacity.
pjohnson@hpenews.com — 336-888-3528 — @HPEpaul
