CDC Warns RSV Cases In Kids, Babies Increasing In Georgia

GEORGIA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alerted doctors this week to a spike in severe RSV cases among young children and babies in Georgia and Florida, signaling a likely start to RSV season nationally.

According to the advisory, CDC officials have observed increased RSV activity in recent weeks across parts of the southeastern United States.

The late-summer increase also appears to indicate the virus is again falling into a typical seasonal pattern after years of unusually early activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health officials said.
Between Aug. 5-19, RSV hospitalizations increased from 2 in 100,000 kids ages 4 and younger to 7 per 100,000, according to the CDC advisory. The majority of hospitalizations occurred in babies less than a year old, the CDC said.

The CDC reported on Aug. 26 that 2598 total antigen detection tests were performed with a 0.537 positive percentage rate in Georgia.

The Georgia Department of Public Health tracks RSV through laboratory reporting to the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System, public health officials said.

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms, according to the CDC. While most people recover in a week or two, RSV can cause serious illness in infants, young children, older adults and those with chronic diseases.

RSV spreads through respiratory droplets, often when an infected person coughs or sneezes or a person comes in direct contact with the virus by kissing the face of a child with RSV or touching a surface with the virus on it.

Annually, RSV infections cause about 2 million doctor visits, 80,000 hospitalizations and up to 300 deaths in children under five, according to the CDC.

Last month, U.S. regulators approved the first RSV vaccine for pregnant women so their babies will be born with protection against the respiratory infection. Vaccinations for older adults are getting underway this fall using the same Pfizer shot plus another from competitor GSK.

If enough pregnant women get vaccinated, Pfizer has predicted the United States could prevent as many as 20,000 infant hospitalizations a year and 320,000 doctor visits.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.