It\u2019s that time of year again when New Jersey hospitals are seeing an increase in admissions associated with COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. <\/p>\n
Since the week ending Oct. 25, hospitalizations associated with these respiratory viruses have increased, according to the state\u2019s latest respiratory illness surveillance report<\/a>. <\/p>\n The majority of hospitalizations with influenza and COVID have been reported in ages 65 and older, while the majority of admissions with RSV have been reported in children 0-4 years old and adults 65 years and older. <\/p>\n Despite the increase, cases are nowhere near the peak they reached last season when the \u201cquad-demic\u201d<\/a> was in full swing and overall respiratory illness activity in New Jersey was very high. However, cases are expected to rise as colder weather drives people to gather indoors more frequently.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Do healthy kids need a COVID shot? Here\u2019s what a trained medical professional has to say.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re definitely starting to see the general surge that we always see in respiratory season, especially as you start having these large community gatherings and things could spread quite easily,\u201d said Meghan Faulkner, a certified pediatric acute care nurse practitioner and clinical instructor at Rutgers School of Nursing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nationally, the amount of acute respiratory illness causing people to seek health care is at low or very low levels in most states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <\/p>\n But data shows influenza activity is increasing, as well as emergency department visits for RSV in many southeastern and southern states. <\/p>\n Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, is a common virus that typically causes mild, cold-like symptoms. However, it can be severe, especially for babies, older adults and the immunocompromised. The virus is the leading cause of childhood illness and hospitalization in infants.<\/p>\n This is the time of year when Faulkner usually braces for an influx of infants with RSV. But this year, she said, things seem different. <\/p>\n \u201cChildren are being admitted to the hospital for RSV bronchiolitis far less frequently than they were in prior years,\u201d Faulkner said.<\/p>\n She credits recent technological advances in the hospital setting, such as noninvasive oxygen and ventilation techniques, that have made it easier to manage children admitted to the hospital with RSV. The availability of infant RSV antibody products has also helped reduce the overall impact and severity of the virus. <\/p>\n The antibody products are different from a traditional vaccine. These products inject monoclonal antibodies that prevent severe RSV disease in infants and some young children. There are two types available: clesrovimab and nirsevimab.<\/p>\n Either product is recommended for use in infants younger than 8 months born during or entering their first RSV season, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <\/p>\n Previously, there was a third antibody treatment available \u2014 palivizumab \u2014 but that was only for children predisposed to severe diseases. According to the CDC, it will no longer be available starting Dec. 31. <\/p>\n For adults, there are three RSV vaccines available. However, the RSV vaccine is only recommended for certain adults:<\/p>\n Pregnant people during weeks 32 to 36 of pregnancy.People ages 50 to 74 at increased risk of severe RSV disease.Everyone ages 75 and older.<\/p>\n Influenza, known as the flu, is also spreading. Although the virus circulates year-round, it usually peaks between December and February, according to the CDC. <\/p>\n Most people who get the flu recover within a few days, but some develop severe complications. The risks are highest for young children, pregnant women, people with certain chronic health conditions, and people 65 years and older.<\/p>\n The 2024\u201325 flu season was associated with at least 43 million illnesses, 560,000 hospitalizations, and 38,000 deaths, according to the CDC. <\/p>\n Of those who died, 287 were children, representing the highest number of flu-associated deaths in children in a single season since the 2009-10 pandemic.<\/p>\n Seasonal influenza activity remains low nationally but is increasing, primarily among children, according to the CDC\u2019s latest influenza surveillance report. <\/p>\n Health experts recommend everyone ages 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine. For those averse to needles, there\u2019s a nasal spray vaccine<\/a> that can be delivered to your home. <\/p>\n COVID test positivity is also on the rise in New Jersey, according to the latest respiratory illness surveillance report. <\/p>\n For the week ending Nov. 8, COVID was responsible for 35 emergency department visits that resulted in hospitalization, according to the state\u2019s respiratory illness dashboard. <\/p>\n Although the worst days of COVID are behind us, the virus is still a threat to public health. For example, respiratory outbreaks recently reported in the state\u2019s long-term care facilities are primarily due to COVID. <\/p>\n Among children 4 years and under, the level of COVID-associated hospitalizations during the 2022\u201323 and 2023\u201324 seasons were similar to those due to influenza, according to data from the CDC<\/a>.<\/p>\n The CDC no longer recommends the COVID vaccine for healthy children ages 6 months to 17 years. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a> released its own recommendations <\/a>differing from the CDC\u2019s new guidelines. The group strongly recommends a COVID vaccine for children ages 6 to 23 months. It also recommends the vaccine be available for children ages 2-18, even if they don\u2019t fall into a risk group, if their parent wants them to have the protection of the vaccine.<\/p>\n Aside from vaccines, Faulkner said there are plenty of other things people can do the prevent their loved ones from contracting a respiratory virus this season. <\/p>\n Families can prevent the spread of respiratory illness by:<\/p>\n Practicing good hygiene.Disinfecting shared spaces.Staying home when sick. Avoiding large gatherings, especially with a newborn.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard. You love your newborn. You want to show them off to the family, but they really are at the highest risk of developing complications related to these viruses,\u201d said Faulkner.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s that time of year again when New Jersey hospitals are seeing an increase in admissions associated with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141699,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[163,521,85,46],"class_list":{"0":"post-141698","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-healthcare","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-israel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}