Runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever and difficulty breathing – the classic symptoms of a cold are currently spreading rapidly among the population. The fact that many people get sick today is noticeable in many school classrooms and workplaces.
According to Volker Stranger, a pediatrician and infectious disease specialist at Med Uni Graz, before the pandemic, there were regular double waves in winter – now there is a triple wave. In the past two years of the pandemic, cold waves caused by the RS virus and influenza, which are otherwise typical of the season, did not occur largely – due to distancing rules, mask requirements and lockdowns. Stranger suspects the current triple wave will continue throughout the winter.
Influenza pandemic also
Virologist Judith Eberle from MedUni Vienna emphasized to ORF.at that the spread of influenza virus in this country after RSV officially reached pandemic proportions last week. MEDUNI Vienna is the national observatory for virology and a worldwide sentinel system for epidemiological surveillance.
According to Eberle, RS viruses have been on the rise for three weeks and have now reached epidemic proportions. That’s “too early”. Eberle didn’t want to speculate on how long the RSV and influenza wave would last. In any case, intense virological events will continue “over the next few weeks”.
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RS virus is especially dangerous for babies
Eberle and Stranger point out that RS viruses in particular are not always harmless to infants, especially in their first winter. They can trigger bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the airways that extend beyond the bronchi. According to the European Union’s health authority (ECDC), children between the ages of zero and four are particularly often affected.
In addition, according to Eberle, there are many rhinoviruses. Eberle and Stranger emphasize that the symptoms of different infections are similar – so without a swab you can’t tell which virus it is. Eberle therefore recommends getting a CoV test whenever possible in case of symptoms. And she refers to the current ECDC recommendation, according to which children with symptoms should not attend kindergarten or school. It is self-protection and also prevents further spread.
Vaccination for at-risk children
The past two years have shown that social distancing and wearing a mask prevent infection. But very few people would like this. However, Strangler has a specific recommendation ready: Parents with an infant, especially in the first six months, should avoid large crowds if at all possible. “If every cold can be an RSV,” then the risk of infection can be minimized, even if infection cannot be ruled out.
Strenger points out that inactivated RSV vaccination is available for at-risk babies — premature babies or infants with heart defects or lung disease. It is now also generally approved for healthy children, but is not yet available in Austria.
Results for children’s departments in hospitals
According to the pediatrician, the hospital system is already “close to overload” due to the large number of young children admitted to the hospital. Unlike at the height of the CoV pandemic, it now primarily affects children and youth departments, even though the dimensions are not comparable.
The Vienna Health Association also warned in a broadcast on Tuesday about the dangers, especially for young children under the age of one. Babies who become infected often have to be hospitalized and have to have their breathing supported. At the moment, children’s beds are “extraordinarily busy” throughout Vienna.
“Sick 24/7”
A picture similar to Austria can currently be seen in many European countries and also in North America. Jakob Muske, a spokesman for the professional association of German pediatricians, sounded the alarm on Tuesday.
There is an “accumulation of infection”. “Some kids are sick around the clock, and parents worry they’re not going to get better at all,” Muske said. In its current state, his work in practice is more like a “passing through” than good medicine. The trick is to filter out the really sick kids.
