Two common respiratory viruses continue to keep Houston pediatric hospitals unusually busy this time of year, with both the flu and RSV seeing a second surge following a rise in cases over the spring and summer, respectively.
This summer pediatricians have seen an unusually-timed explosion of RSV cases in toddlers and babies, resulting in some becoming severely ill, hospitalized and intubated.
“I was not necessarily expecting a surge right now,” said Dr. Michael Chang, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at UTHealth and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. “Having had a summer surge, I was expecting that was it. It’s very unusual to have two surges in a single a season. It happens, rarely, but it’s very uncommon.”
More than 40 children are currently hospitalized with RSV at Texas Children’s Hospital, one quarter of whom require critical care. Admission data for Children’s Memorial Hermann was not immediately available, but Chang reported a noticeable uptick over the last two weeks.Houston Methodist’s respiratory pathogen dataDespite the unusual pattern, parents of young children in the Houston area should not panic, doctors say.
The unpredictability of the virus is the biggest concern, he said. He and other experts question whether the virus will ever return to normal seasonal patterns. For young children, a break from typical virus exposure may have long term implications for how viruses spread in that population, he said.
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