Tripledemic: RSV and flu cases on rise with COVID

Children most at risk as winter approaches

NORRISTOWN >> Health professionals in Montgomery County are observing higher cases of illness ahead of the start of the winter season.

“CHOP is seeing an increased volume of viral infections across the board,” said Children’s Hospital of Pediatrics physician Dr. Allison Ballantine.

Ballantine and Dr. Richard Lorraine, medical director for the Montgomery County Office of Public Health, have identified RSV and flu as two main viruses, along with the ongoing presence of COVID-19.

In pediatric cases, Ballantine shared her perspective from the children’s health network, which has outpatient and emergency facilities in King of Prussia.

“Many of our children are experiencing what we’re calling an immunity debt, meaning they have not been exposed to viruses during the pandemic and so there’s been now two birth cohorts of especially young children and infants that are really getting hit hard,” she said. “We’re seeing an earlier than normal surge of RSV, which has also been much higher. … This particular virus is no more virulent, no more dangerous than it ever has been before.”

RSV, also known as respiratory syncytial virus, is categorized as a “common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health care professionals are observing “an earlier surge of RSV cases,” Lorraine said, adding that peak time is about two-to-three months early.

“There’s just a lot of it, and we’re also seeing more flu already,” Ballantine said. “So this has resulted in an increasingly high number of patients who are seeking care of a lot of different settings, and we know there are long wait times across the board related to appointment avail