Before Covid, few people had heard of respiratory syncytial virus. Increasingly, though, this common cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis (airway inflammation) is filling up hospital beds
In its latest report, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said several countries had experienced unusually early increases in detections of RSV, with rising paediatric hospital admissions in France, Ireland, Spain, Sweden and the US.
“With the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the circulation and health impact of other respiratory pathogens, it is challenging to predict how the new winter period will develop,” a joint statement by the ECDC, European Commission and World Health Organization said.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued a similar statement last month, as the virus burdens healthcare systems across Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay,…