Lessons Learned From The Rising Respiratory Infections In America

This fall has seen an unprecedented increase in respiratory infections across the country, and it is not just Covid. Infections from Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Influenza, Covid, Rhinovirus, and Enterovirus have been causing illnesses in alarming numbers since late summer. Here are lessons the general public should all be aware of moving forward from this surge.

Hospitals, Physicians, And Healthcare Workers Are Overwhelmed

Just as we witnessed during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, hospitals have again been overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients visiting emergency rooms and ICU’s across the country. Longer than normal wait times for patients, staffing shortages of physicians, nurses, and techs; as well as nursing home closures have created a nightmare for healthcare facilities in many states. Not only are there fewer beds for critically ill patients in the hospital, there is often nowhere for some patients to go after they have been discharged, particularly our elderly population that rely on the presence of nursing homes that are dwindling in number. This should serve as a gentle reminder that our healthcare facilities and employees must be supported at all costs to ensure high quality care for all patients. Employers and government officials must work tirelessly to decrease healthcare worker burnout, offer viable incentives to keep physicians employed, and provide creative solutions to increase hospital bed capacities during times of crises.

Masks Work

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine examined the effect of masks on the incidence of Covid-19 in public schools in the state of Massachusetts. The masking mandate was lifted in the majority of schools in the state with the exception of two school districts that decided to uphold masking for a period of 15 weeks. The study ultimately reported an additional 45 cases of Covid-19 per 1000 students in the school districts that lifted masking requirements, when compared to districts that did not lift the mandate. As respiratory infections rise in the community, masks should be understood by the public as a cost-effective and safe way to curb the spread of infection to our loved ones. This study provides crystal clear and powerful evidence supporting the notion that masks actually do work.

Climate Change Is Real

Many fungal respiratory infections that are endemic in certain parts of the United States are now appearing in states they have never been before because of climate change. Changes in temperature and rainfall are allowing the spread of certain fungi beyond their normal locations, according to reports in United Press International. For example, Valley Fever, a fungal infection that causes a respiratory infection, is usually only present in the Southwest in states such as Arizona and California due to the warm soil that is conducive to its survival. However, changes in temperatures across the country have allowed the fungus that causes Valley Fever to persist in areas outside the Southwest, such as in Nebraska and Washington. Many physicians will likely underdiagnose these infections as they are not used to testing for specific organisms that have never inhabited their location of practice. Climate change will continue to have profound effects on health, disease, and the way medicine is practiced for decades to come, and healthcare personnel must continue to educate themselves of this reality if they are to provide the public with the most optimal care.

A Future RSV Vaccine Could Be A Game Changer

According to CDC data, RSV accounts for up to 80,000 hospitalizations of children less than 5 years of age every year in the US. Much less known is that this same virus is responsible for nearly 10,000 deaths yearly among adults 65 years and older. Just as vaccines have been instrumental in mitigating the spread of Covid and Influenza, a RSV vaccine could do similar wonders in the future. Imagine a future RSV vaccine that could significantly decrease the number one cause of infant hospitalizations throughout the country. Preliminary data from Pfizer shows that a RSV maternal shot given during pregnancy can reduce the rate of severe respiratory infections in the first three months of life in an infant by 82%. Antibody therapy is also being developed by various Pharma companies with the hope of protecting infants through the entire RSV season. Despite the continued increase of respiratory infections, there remains hope that future innovations in vaccine therapy can diminish serious illness and death in the general population.