Rise in respiratory virus, Delta infections among children

Besides the surging cases of infections from the Delta variant, the US is also seeing a rise in cases of a respiratory virus known as respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, a highly contagious, flu-like illness, that is typically more likely to affect children and older adults, according to media reports.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that cases of RSV have risen gradually since early June, with an even greater spike in the past month, the New York Times reported. RSV leads to runny nose, coughing, sneezing and fever. It normally begins to spread in the fall, making the summer spike unusual.

“After many months of zero or few pediatric COVID cases, we are seeing infants, children and teenagers with Covid pouring back into the hospital, more and more each day,” Dr Heather Haq, a pediatrician at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston wrote in a series of posts on Twitter.

Haq added that patients have ranged in age from two weeks to 17 years old, including some with COVID pneumonias.

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