According to researchers' estimates, 1 in 50 deaths of otherwise healthy kids under the age of 5 worldwide is due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is currently surging in the United States.
The study was published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine on Thursday, November 10. The authors wrote that the virus is known to be especially dangerous for medically fragile and premature babies.
The new research is one of the first studies in the world to look at RSV cases in otherwise healthy children.
RSV cases much higher than some people thought
Study co-author Dr. Louis Bont, who wants to reduce the global burden of RSV infection through his ReSViNET foundation, said that even the lowest-risk babies are hospitalized because of this virus.
Bont, the professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Wilhelmina Children's Hospital in the Netherlands, told CNN that the numbers are much higher than he thinks some people would have guessed.
A total of 9,154 infants participated in the study, with researchers focusing on the number of RSV cases recorded. The babies, born between July 2017 and April 2020 and followed for the first year of their lives, received care at health centers across the European continent.
Child deaths due to RSV rising in the U.S., worldwide
About 1 in 1,000 kids in the study were put in an intensive care unit (ICU). In these cases, a mechanical ventilator was used to help the infants with their breathing. The risk of death is significant for babies with RSV in parts of the world where hospital care is lacking.
Bont said that the vast majority of deaths with RSV happen in developing countries. He said that mortality is rare in the developed world. He added that if it happens, it is virtually only in those children who have severe comorbidities. The problem is there is no intensive care unit in most places worldwide. Bont said that between 100,000 and 200,000 babies die from RSV every year.
Dr. Kristina Deeter, the chair of pediatrics at the University of Nevada, Reno, said there are fewer RSV deaths in high-income countries. She made it clear, however, that the virus causes substantial morbidity and even hospitalization because RSV can have serious effects.
Healthcare providers must plan accordingly for the RSV surge and other respiratory problems, as they know that the traditional viral season happens from November through March.
Dr. Nicholas Holmes said that officials at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego must always ensure they have enough physicians and respiratory therapists to manage the influx of cases in their facility.
