2 Children Under 5 Die From RSV As Severe Cold And Flu Season Slams CA

CALIFORNIA — A second child under 5 years old has died from Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in California, adding to a grueling flu season this year, state health officials confirmed Tuesday.

The state's second pediatric RSV death of the season occurred in Riverside County, according to the county's health department. The child, under 4 years old, died after a short illness, according to health officials. The child's death comes as some hospitals around the state are seeing twice as many patients with cold and flu symptoms than is typical this time of year. RSV hospitalizations among seniors is also about 10 times higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The surge in respiratory illnesses heading into the season for holiday gatherings has health officials concerned about the strain on hospital capacity.

"This tragic event serves as a stark reminder that respiratory viruses can be deadly, especially in very young children and infants," State Public Health Officer and California Department of Public Health Director Dr. Tomás Aragón said in a statement. "We are entering a busy winter virus season — with RSV, flu and COVID-19 spreading — and urge parents and guardians to vaccinate their children as soon as possible against flu and COVID-19. It's also important to follow basic prevention tips like frequent hand washing, wearing a mask, and staying home when sick to slow the spread of germs."

The California Department of Public Health declined to say where in the state the other death occurred, citing the privacy of the patient.

The 2022-2023 flu and RSV season began earlier than usual this year, normally arising in December and peaking in February, according to the CDPH. Recent data collected by the state department shows a rapid increase of cases of RSV, Flu and COVID-19, and cases are expected to continue to increase as the season progresses.

"RSV activity rapidly increased in October and is still high," a CDPH spokesperson told Patch Tuesday. "Flu activity is happening earlier this year in California and is also increasing. COVID-19 cases have been on the rise and based on patterns of the last 2 years, it is likely that we can anticipate COVID-19 cases going up as winter approaches."

Flu activity is currently highest in Southern California, according to the CDPH. California hospitals saw 3,224 positive cases for the week ending Nov. 12, which is 16.7 percent of all samples tested. It's an increase from the previous week when 16.5 percent of samples tested positive for flu, according to the California Department of Public Health.

The beginning of the season saw an uncharacteristically high number of cases of RSV, which, in turn, strained capacity in local hospitals. Officials warned that flu, RSV and COVID-19 circulating at the same time in Marin County is beginning to strain the medical system.

Marin County emergency rooms are seeing twice the volume of people with viral respiratory symptoms than they normally see this time of year, the department said.

Going into the holiday week, health officials in Marin expressed their concern about the spread of all three viruses at family gatherings.

"During Thanksgiving and other holidays, our social networks expand, creating new chances for respiratory viruses to spread," said Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County Public Health Officer, in a statement.

Last week Berkely Unified School District warned parents that children may have to return to masking due to a staggering increase of cases of RSV and COVID-19 in just the first two weeks of November.

"Please note that Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV) cases are also on the rise, and we are in flu season as well," Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel said. "If we continue to see an uptick in cases and move into a fall/winter surge, we expect to strongly recommend indoor masking at all BUSD schools and facilities, as it is an important COVID-19 risk mitigation measure."

Dr. Christopher Vlasses at the UC San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland told the Los Angeles Times the hospital's acute care unit was filled to capacity every day during a week in October with patients, primarily babies, waiting for beds.

Most people who have been admitted for RSV have been younger than 18 years old. To date, there have been five RSV-coded deaths in the 2022-2023 influenza season, not including the recent deaths of two children under five, according to CDPH.

A San Diego children's hospital had nearly 200 children test positive for the disease according to the Los Angeles Times, which is close to double the amount of what would be seen during the peak period during the winter.

There is also evidence that RSV is hitting older adults at a higher rate than is usually seen, according to a report by CNN. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the rate is lower for seniors compared to children, but about 10 times higher than in the year before the COVID-19 pandemic.

About six out of every 100,000 seniors has been hospitalized with RSV according to the CDC, and adults who are 65 years old and older may experience the most severe outcomes.

Health officials are warning of a possible “tridemic” or “tripledemic” if the RSV peak coincides with seasonal peaks in influenza and COVID-19. The three illnesses have similar symptoms.

There are no inoculations against RSV as there are for both the flu and COVID-19, but a couple of pharmaceutical companies are working to develop vaccines.

The state issued new guidance to hospitals across California for addressing the "anticipated further surge" of hospitalizations from winter viruses. The guidance, in part, "allows health facilities to reconfigure space as needed to accommodate patient surge."

Los Angeles County Public Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis told the Board of Supervisors earlier this month the county was seeing a higher-than- usual number of RSV cases for this time of year, along with a higher-than- normal percentage of pediatric patients at hospital emergency rooms who are testing positive for flu-like symptoms.

Davis said hospitals had not seen a major spike in pediatric hospital beds being filled due to RSV cases. However, he said the combination of RSV, flu and COVID, along with ongoing staffing shortages, could combine to over-tax medical centers.

Health officials have repeatedly noted that flu infection rates are also rising earlier than normal in Los Angeles County. It was unclear if the early onset of flu season would lead to a spike in the number of cases in the coming months. But they have also noted rising COVID-19 infection numbers since the beginning of November.

The CDPH offered guidance for the rest of the season and those planning on attending family gatherings for the Thanksgiving holiday:

1. Getting vaccinated, boosted and treated is still the best defense against flu and COVID-19.
2. It's crucial to stay home if you are feeling sick and avoid close contact with others, especially for illnesses like the flu, RSV and COVID-19, which are known to lead to more severe illnesses.
3. Wearing a mask can help prevent the spead of viruses as masks significantly reduce the release of particles that transmit the diseases. Especially vulnerable people such as the elderly and young children who do not yet have immunity benefit from this method of limiting the spread of germs.
4. Frequent handwashing is an easy and effective way to prevent sickness and the spread of germs.
5. Coughing and sneezing into your elbow, arm or a disposable tissue also prevents sicknesses from spreading.

See also:

RSV Cases Rise In CA: 5 Things To Know About 'Tripledemic' Threat

1,000 Students Absent At One School As Flu Spreads Across SoCal

Health Officials Worried As Flu Spreads Early Across NorCal

Bay City News and City News Service contributed reporting.