Map Reveals States Where RSV Cases Are Surging

Newsweek has created a map showing states where respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases are surging. In the week ending December 21, the following three states had the highest percentage of positive RSV tests – Louisiana (25 percent), Massachusetts (24 percent) and Texas (23 percent), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System. Why It Matters Multiple diseases are surging, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting high levels of respiratory illnesses across the country, including COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. The spread of these illnesses poses a serious threat to public health and is a significant concern following the global coronavirus pandemic that erupted in 2020. Newsweek has created a map showing which states have the highest cases of respiratory illnesses in general here. RSV Cases By State Louisiana, Massachusetts and Texas were the worst affected by RSV in the week ending December 21, followed by Pennsylvania (21 percent), Florida and Georgia (19 percent), New York (14 percent) and North Carolina and Ohio (13 percent). Conversely, the states least affected by RSV during the same time frame, where less than 3 percent of tests came out positive, include Montana (1.32 percent), Nebraska (1.49 percent) and North Dakota (2.14 percent). States in between, where 5 to 7.9 percent of tests came out positive that week, include Missouri (5 percent), Illinois (7 percent), Colorado (6 percent) and Wisconsin (5 percent). What Is RSV? RSV is “a common respiratory virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs. RSV symptoms make it difficult to distinguish it from the common cold or other respiratory viruses (like the flu or COVID-19,” the CDC states. It usually spreads in the late fall and winter but this year has seen an early spike, with some hospitals already reporting more than dozens of cases a day in October. RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization in babies under the age of 1. Although it usually only causes mild cold-like symptoms in adults, the virus can be life-threatening for children, adults older than 65 and immunocompromised people. The onset of RSV season ranges from mid-September to mid-November with its peak from late December to mid-February. However, the pandemic skewed the seasonal patterns for the virus. Some experts speculate that the reason the disease is affecting so many children is because many of them wore masks, stayed home when sick and did not attend daycare or venture out in public with their parents as often because of COVID-19 restrictions. “This year, parents are sending their children to daycare and school for the first time following two years of the pandemic,” Dr. Laura Romano said earlier this month in a Texas-based Cook Children’s Hospital newsroom publication. “Children who haven’t been previously exposed to respiratory viruses are getting sick.” What People Are Saying The CDC said it “continues to expect the fall and winter virus season will have a similar or lower peak number of combined hospitalizations from COVID-19, influenza, and RSV compared to last year. However, peak hospitalizations from all respiratory viruses remain likely to be much higher than they were before the emergence of COVID-19.” What Happens Next The CDC, which has reported that vaccination coverage for COVID-19 and influenza was “low” among Americans, and RSV vaccine coverage was low among adults, will continue monitoring developments with respiratory illnesses such as RSV. The CDC expects the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine will “work well” to prevent the spread of the disease this year. A map showing which states were worst affected by RSV in the week ending December 21, 2024. A map showing which states were worst affected by RSV in the week ending December 21, 2024. Flourish/Newsweek