Why are so many Fort Worth kids sick with RSV? And more information about the virus

Thousands of Fort Worth kids are sick right now, many of them with respiratory syncytial virus.

RSV, as its more commonly known, has long been the leading cause of hospitalization in infants, but this year the virus is getting more attention. Pediatricians say RSV is a particularly difficult virus to manage, because there is no vaccine and no antiviral medications that can treat the infection.

Here are answers to some basic questions about RSV, and what to expect for the rest of the respiratory virus season this year.

Is RSV a new disease?

No. RSV was discovered in 1956, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and has long been one of the most common causes of childhood illness.

But it has largely been under the public’s radar until now.

“COVID has increased the awareness that it is a pathogen that plays a very big role,” said Dr. M. Asunción Mejías, an associate professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

For years, RSV has been the leading cause of hospitalization in infants.

Is the outbreak of RSV related to the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, how?

Yes, the outbreak is definitely related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to virus researchers.

Most children are exposed to RSV by the time they’re 2, Mejías said. But during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, many children were sheltered from exposure through safety protocols put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Safety measures had notable impacts on a number of viruses, including COVID-19. The number of children who died from influenza fell from 199 in 2019 to just one child in 2020.

But with fewer children exposed to seasonal viruses, many are getting infected with RSV and other viruses for the first time this year.

“Because of the lack of circulation, a big pool of children were not exposed to the virus, and they were more susceptible to get it now,” Mejías said.

This pool of previously uninfected kids being exposed to RSV is coupled with the high circulation of other viruses, like seasonal influenza, which so far has started spreading earlier than usual, according to surveillance data.

It’s possible, some virus researchers say, that the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 could have disrupted the circulation of viruses like RSV through viral interference. During past pandemics, like the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, the typical seasons of other viruses acted abnormally.

And lastly, Mejías added, the country has previously had aggressive and early outbreaks of the disease.

“More people are aware now, but we’ve been having these outbreaks forever,” Mejías said.

Children’s hospitals have been stretched particularly thin by the combined occurrence of RSV, seasonal influenza, COVID-19, and other respiratory viruses, which are leaving them with limited bed availability for the sickest infants.

Last week, there were just seven beds in pediatric intensive care units in Dallas-Fort Worth hospitals. More recent data hasn’t yet been published.

How frequently does RSV cause severe disease?

In most healthy adults, RSV will only cause a cold. And in most children, too, RSV usually only results in mild illness.

But for some young children, the viruses causes more serious disease.

The reasons why some children get only a typical seasonal cold and others require hospitalizations, oxygen, and additional fluids is unknown.

If you have additional questions, email cmccarthy@star-telegram.com.