As Chicago-area hospitals are overwhelmed with breakouts of RSV and influenza, NBC 5’s Lauren Petty takes a look inside the surge from the perspective of the health care industry.
The rapid climb in hospitalizations of young kids in the Chicago area, fueled by surges in both RSV and the flu, have led to a number of warnings from health experts, and many questions from parents.
"It's only November and RSV has already come and hit us hard. And there's other viruses that don't make the news as much that are also surging right now just because it's respiratory virus season," said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner for the Chicago Department of Public Health. "If we see a significant surge, and we will see some surge no doubt about it, of flu and of COVID, on top of that, particularly for kids, you know, we may run out of good hospital capacity."
DuPage County's health department on Tuesday revealed that it has had days where there are no available beds for seriously ill children.
"Hospitals and clinics are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of people who are ill with respiratory diseases like influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19," the DuPage County Health Department said in a statement Tuesday. "Children are being especially impacted, with more children with severe illness seeking care at hospitals with some waiting hours to be seen. Some even need to be transferred to another healthcare facility."
The county fears that conditions will only worsen after the holiday.
"RSV is not a new virus. Influenza is not a new virus. But we're seeing both earlier and more severe cases of illness," Ayala told NBC Chicago. "And yes, we are concerned because... we're going to be getting together, we're going to be spending more time indoors versus outdoors. It all leads us to be concerned that this will get worse before it gets better."
At the same time, Advocate Aurora Health said all of its facilities have implemented a "limited-visitor policy" as they work to "reduce the spread of COVID, flu and other seasonal illnesses."
A spokesperson for the hospital told NBC Chicago the move was "due to the substantial increase in influenza activity."
Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge is one of many area pediatric hospitals dealing with unprecedented demand.
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“I have never seen pediatric medicine like this in my practice, in my career,” Dr. John Howard, the site director for the pediatric emergency room, told NBC Chicago Tuesday.
The wait time for the emergency room is surging as well, to as much as 10 hours. Advocate Children’s also opened up a new “Fast Track” area on Nov. 7, to accommodate patients with less acuity, who may be able to go home the same day.
“Portions of the waiting room have been repurposed to create patient beds where they weren’t any,” said Howard.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, RSV season typically begins between mid-September and mid-November, and the virus' peak often does not hit until sometime between late-December and mid-February.
This year, however, the spike started earlier than usual. And Illinois isn't alone in seeing such an early surge in cases.
The surge comes ahead of what health experts believe will be a particularly difficult flu season, and amid fears of a potential winter rise in COVID as new variants continue to emerge.
So what should parents know about RSV? Here's a breakdown of what the virus is, what local doctors are saying and what parents should know.
What is RSV?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, as a "common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms."
"Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults," the CDC states.
The virus is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under the age of 1 in the U.S., data shows.
In fact, the CDC reports "almost all children will have had an RSV infection by their second birthday."
According to the CDC, RSV results in around 58,000 annual hospitalizations and 100 to 300 deaths among children under 5 each year in the U.S.
What Are the Symptoms of RSV and How Soon Can They Appear?
According to the CDC, people infected with RSV usually show symptoms within four to six days after getting infected.
"After a couple of days [from exposure], you can start seeing some symptoms," Arcia-Diaz said. "Each child is really different, but yeah, after exposure, most viruses you tend to see symptoms like a couple of days after."
Those symptoms can include:
- Runny nose
- Decrease in appetite
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Fever
- Wheezing
These symptoms usually appear in stages and not all at once, according to the CDC.
"RSV usually produces like difficulty breathing on some children, particularly those kids with the baseline issues," Arcia-Diaz said. "With asthma, those actually have more chances of being wheezing because of the RSV. So in some children, it will be more like just like a urine infection, just runny nose, sneezing, but some other kids will have this difficulty breathing... younger kids, like I said, they will be more prone to have this difficulty with the breathing."
When Should You Seek Medical Care for Your Child?
"Younger children with difficulty breathing, they should definitely be seen by their pediatrician. For older kids, also same. Any difficulty breathing, any decrease in their activity, any decrease on their oral intake," Arcia-Diaz said. "Same for younger kids. Kids can easily get dehydrated. So that's one of the red flags that we give to the parents. It's, you know, if your child's not eating enough, not drinking as usual - for example, baby's not taking their bottles like they used to - like all of those will be what we call red flags and parents should get attention if that's the case."
The CDC states parents should contact their health care provider if their child "is having difficulty breathing, not drinking enough fluids, or experiencing worsening symptoms."
How Long Does It Last?
According to Arcia-Diaz, RSV infections typically last about seven to 10 days.
"RSV is usually like a self-limited disease," she said. "It's going to take about like seven to 10 days for the kid to fully recover. And we usually see a peak after a few days where kids can get worse. So sometimes they can start with like a very mild infection, day two or three they may get into that peak, and then maybe they may look sicker. And if that's the case, again, they should be seen by their by their pediatrician," she said.
Is It Treatable?
According to the CDC, most RSV infections go away on their own.
There is currently no specific treatment or vaccine for the virus, though the CDC reports researchers are working on developing some.
For those who do get hospitalized, Arcia-Diaz said they receive supportive measures like supplemental oxygen or IV fluids for dehydration and nebulization.
What Can Parents Do for a Child With RSV?
The CDC says parents can work to relieve symptoms by offering children over-the-counter fever or pain relievers like acetaminophen, making sure children are drinking plenty of water and communicating with healthcare providers about other medications that could help.
"For some of the kids, for example, if you see their intake decrease or they're not eating as much solid foods as they used to, [parents] can try, for example, Pedialyte... Just keep the kid hydrated, like really keep the kid hydrated, even if it's with fluids, liquids, whatever the kid is willing to take," Arcia-Diaz said. "That will be very important. Another thing will be controlled temperature. So if the kid is having fever, they can try to give... medication for fever. Those will be like two very easy to do like options for these kids."
Can Adults Get RSV?
According to the Mayo Clinic, RSV can also infect adults, but symptoms in adults or older, healthy children are typically mild, often mimicking a common cold.
What Preventative Measures Can You Take?
These are some preventative measures the CDC says you can take:
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper shirt sleeve, not your hands
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Avoid close contact, such as kissing, shaking hands, and sharing cups and eating utensils, with others
- Clean frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs and mobile devices
