Free Republic

The United States could soon have another tool in the fight against respiratory syncytial virus, an illness that’s the No. 1 cause of hospitalization in infants. In a mid- to late-stage trial, Enflonsia reduced RSV-associated hospitalizations in infants more than 84% compared with a placebo. RSV can sometimes turn into serious lower respiratory infections like pneumonia, but the shot also reduced lower respiratory infections that needed medical attention by more than 60% compared with a placebo.

The United States is fighting a "quad-demic" this winter with four major viruses—COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and norovirus—with infants at particular risk, Dr. Ryan Fulton recently warned. "This year, we've seen earlier and more intense surges of RSV and the flu compared to what we're used to," Dr. Fulton, section chief of general pediatrics at Carilion Children's Hospital and faculty member at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, said in a statement. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported an increase in visits to doctors on a scale not seen in 15 years....

Four viruses are currently circulating in the United States, which some have referred to as a "quad-demic." Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed an increase in three respiratory viruses—COVID-19, flu and RSV—and the gastrointestinal disease norovirus. Emergency department visits are "high" and "very high" for flu and RSV, respectively, and "elevated" for COVID-19 across the U.S., according to the CDC. As of the week ending Jan. 4, 18.6% of tests for influenza are returning positive, as are 11.6% of RSV tests and 6.9% of COVID tests. Meanwhile, for norovirus, 27.91% of weekly tests have come back...

Welcome to winter virus season. Cases of acute respiratory illness, Covid-19 and seasonal flu are increasing in most parts of the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Emergency department visits for flu and the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, are very high. While Covid-19 cases leading to emergency department visits are still low, they are increasing, with wastewater testing already revealing high coronavirus levels. How can you know which infectious disease you have? Does it depend on the illness, the symptoms or the characteristics of the person who is ill? And how can people...

As you deck the halls and traverse afar this holiday season, taking precautions to protect yourself from a quartet of infectious diseases can lessen your odds of bringing an illness into the new year. Flu, COVID, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and norovirus are making their winter rounds nationwide, and you may have heard the term “quad-demic” pop up online or in conversation (the first three are sometimes called a “triple-demic”). While the unofficial term for the four maladies circulating in tandem evokes a sense of impending doom, the quadruple threat isn’t so different from respiratory virus seasons past. “All of...

A pediatric vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is proving to be elusive, according to news from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. RSV is a highly contagious, common respiratory virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs. And while it does not usually cause severe illness in healthy adults and children, some people with RSV infection, especially older adults and infants younger than 6 months of age, can become very sick and may need to be hospitalized. But enrollment for all clinical studies of infant RSV vaccines is now on hold due to safety concerns, explained a Dec. 11...

My Wife and I are in your late 80's. This years when planning to get an annual Flu Shot we were asked to get an RSV also. We did get out Flu Shot yesterday but no RSV was available. Was that a SIGN ? Would a FReeper(s) with some knowledge contribute to this discussion?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved an expansion of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for use in at-risk adults over the age of 50.Manufactured by British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company GSK, this vaccine is the first to be approved for adults aged 50–59, targeting a virus known for causing severe respiratory issues, particularly in older adults and those with pre-existing health conditions.RSV is a common respiratory virus that primarily infects the lungs, nose, throat, and breathing passages. It typically causes mild cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose, fever, cough, and wheezing.“Today’s approval reflects the...

It has been known for a long time that polio vaccines contained a monkey virus called the coryza virus, which was later renamed respiratory syncytial virus (“RSV”).In humans, RSV causes mild, cold-like symptoms but may be severe in a small number of people, especially in infants and older adults.Since August last year, regulators in Western countries have approved Pfizer’s RSV vaccine for use in pregnant mothers that increases the risk of pre-term birth, which carries risks of short and long-term health complications for the baby.On 21 August 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved Pfizer’s Abrysvo vaccine. It...

Winter officially begins Thursday, and with the cold season comes an expected rise in rates of flu and Covid, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. is seeing a "sharp increase" in flu levels right now, particularly in the south, Cohen said Wednesday in an interview. Covid cases also appear to be climbing nationally, she said, while cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, seem to have reached their highest point this season. "We’re seeing RSV peak a bit sooner, but we do not believe we’re near yet at the peak...

Pharma thinks we need a “vaccine” for every illness, even if it shows up in most people as a mild cold. This latest one has been granted fast-track designation, meaning it will skip the usual scrutiny, just like the covid injections did. Get ready for the fear-mongering so people will roll up their sleeves again.Moderna just moved one step closer to bringing mRNA-1345, an RSV injection, to market. The US Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) granted the experimental injection fast-track designation in August 2021. Moderna’s mRNA RSV injection has now been given Breakthrough Therapy Designation, which allows for faster development...

(NEXSTAR) — As Americans prepare to gather for the holidays, many say they fear becoming sick in the coming months. Based on the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those concerns may be genuine. While the CDC doesn’t track COVID-19 testing as closely as it did during the pandemic, it does still track other COVID-related data. That includes hospital admissions for COVID, jumped by almost 9% in the most recent week of data, through Nov. 11. The percentage of people visiting the emergency room and testing positive for COVID is up by 7%, and the number...

There’s much to look forward to at the start of winter. The holiday season starts winter off with a bang, while outdoor enthusiasts know their chances to hit the slopes and ski and snowboard are just beginning. Sports fans know January marks the return of the National Football League playoffs, while travelers who need a little winter warmth often designate February as a month to soak up some sun in a faraway locale. With so much to do each winter, it’s especially problematic when you come down with a cold. However, winter tends to be cold and flu season in...

— Consider age, underlying medical conditions in RSV vaccine recs, researchers sayHospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections were less frequent than those due to influenza or COVID-19 in adults 60 and up, but they were associated with more severe disease, CDC researchers reported. Among hospitalized cases, the likelihood for invasive mechanical ventilation or death with RSV was double that of the flu (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.08, 95% CI 1.33-3.26) and similar to COVID (aOR 1.39, 95% CI 0.98-1.96), reported Diya Surie, MD, of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and colleagues. RSV patients were also...

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will update the Cabinet this morning about plans to deal with viruses circulating this autumn and winter. It is understood the Minister will say there could be “significant levels of community transmission” and a co-circulation of COVID-19 and flu. The plans include the rolling-out of a vaccination program which will commence in the first week of October. Vaccines for COVID-19 and flu will once again be co-administered free of charge to eligible people. Minister Donnelly will say that Ireland has secured the adapted Pfizer vaccine, under the EU Vaccines Strategy, which will be administered as the...

President Joe Biden has been double jabbed, getting a COVID-19 shot and a flu shot, The White House confirmed. White House physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, confirmed in a memo that Biden, 80, received both shots on Friday. O’Connor also said Biden was vaccinated several weeks ago against the respiratory illness known as RSV. “As we enter the cold and flu season, the President encourages all Americans to follow his example and to check with their healthcare provider or pharmacist to assure that they are fully vaccinated,” the physician wrote in a memo.

As the fall season ushers in and kids are back to school, we find ourselves once again facing the challenge of a rise in respiratory viruses. A new alert out from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns of rising RSV cases in certain parts of the country. RSV is not a new adversary. It's a common virus that for most people causes mild, cold-like symptoms. While RSV typically peaks during the winter months, the pattern has shifted in recent years, with the virus showing up earlier in the year.

Respiratory syncytial virus, usually shortened to RSV, is a common respiratory virus that can cause mild, cold-like symptoms. While most people recover within a couple weeks, the illness can be severe for infants and older adults, sometimes requiring hospitalization. Earlier this year, the CDC approved an RSV vaccine for adults, adding another shot to combat the “tripledemic” we were in last winter between COVID, the flu and RSV. Unlike COVID and the flu, medical professionals are not encouraging everyone to get vaccinated against RSV. In fact, only a handful of the population should get this vaccine. Here’s what to know...

A new COVID variant is circulating. Flu season is about to begin. Respiratory syncytial virus (known as RSV) is becoming a greater cause of hospitalizations. But this fall, something is different. The country has new vaccines for COVID, influenza and RSV, the three fall respiratory viruses that hospitalize and kill hundreds of thousands annually. “Go get those vaccines and it will make a dramatic difference in your getting sick this winter,” Dr. Ashish Jha, former White House COVID response coordinator, told NPR. “We are going to be dealing with respiratory viruses forever but we are getting better at building treatments...

The European Union's health regulator on Friday backed authorization of Pfizer's (PFE.N) vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for use in babies and older adults. If the European Commission authorizes its use, the shot, called Abrysvo, could become the bloc's first to protect infants up to six months of age from the virus when given to pregnant women. The commission last month approved the region's first RSV vaccine, branded Arexvy, from rival GSK (GSK.L) for older people.