RSV cases are on the rise in North Texas as cold and flu season sets in.
Children’s Health saw a 67% increase in RSV infections across the hospital system between the first and second weeks of November, with a total of 366 reported cases, according to a system spokesperson.
Dr. Preeti Sharma, a Children’s Health pediatric pulmonologist, said upticks around mid-to-late November are “not unexpected.”
“This was a pretty sharp increase, which we’ve seen before,” she said. “It just comes from it being very easily transmitted, particularly in young children and kids in school or preschool daycare and a kind of rapid onset of symptoms.”
The number of cases at Children’s Health is slightly lower this year compared to 2023.
Cold and flu seasons since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic have brought more cases of illnesses like RSV and the flu, as well as earlier surges than usual.
Sharma said it’s too early to tell how this season will compare. However, she said the availability of new RSV vaccines and preventative treatments for infants and older adults could affect case numbers.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year approved Beyfortus, an antibody injection recommended for infants under 8 months old who are born during cold and flu season; infants entering their first cold and flu season; or children up to 19 months with underlying conditions.
The FDA last year also approved vaccinations against RSV for adults 60 and older and pregnant people in their third trimester.
“Hopefully the addition of universal ability to give the antibodies to babies, hopefully we’re going to see fewer cases this fall and winter,” Sharma said.
Dr. Rick Watson, market medical executive for Cigna Healthcare, said virtual appointments also make treatment more accessible — and that demand has increased since the beginning of the pandemic.
“When your doctor’s office is closed, when the urgent cares have closed, later at night when access can be an issue, virtual care really fills that void,” he said.
In addition to rest, proper diet and proper hand-washing, Watson also recommended staying up-to-date on all vaccinations, including those for the flu and COVID-19.
"That’s an important way to help prevent not only getting the disease but making sure that if you do contract the flu, COVID, et cetera, you most likely will have ... less-intense symptoms,” he said.
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