Just as fears of a pandemic began to wane, we were struck by what the media and public health officials are concerned about. “Triple Demic” — All three viruses (RSV, influenza, and the new COVID-19 variant) are circulating at the same time. For parents with children in school, this was a nightmare. Like any collective environment, schools are veritable Petri dishes, and children tend to be less adept at practicing appropriate protective measures to protect their health compared to adults.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data finds sick children adopting hundreds of thousands of parents After workChildren’s hospitals were reportedly filled to capacity, strained medical system.
At the same time, a new urban legend began circulating among concerned parents. It means that children are getting sick more often than before the pandemic. In the transmission of this legend, the logical reason is that “indemnity liability,” The almost erroneous idea that the immune system weakens after long periods of isolation when the body has not been exposed to many pathogens.
Anyone who is a parent or knows a parent has heard anecdotes about children getting sick more often than they used to. But is there any truth to these anecdotes?
“There was this big drop [in respiratory viruses] April, March, 2020, during all the lockdowns that started in April, and started creeping in 2022. “
Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Davis, said despite what we can see, the data show that the frequency of childhood illnesses has indeed returned to pre-pandemic levels. He told the salon that it shows that
“If you look at respiratory virus detections, for example, it looks like we’re back to pre-pandemic infection rates,” Blumberg said. There was this big drop during lockdown and then it started creeping in in 2022. Around the same time there was this big drop in the isolation of virtually all respiratory viruses, and then they came. I’m back on a different level.”
It may explain the metaphorical shock to the system that parents are experiencing with their children. , school closures) were not only effective against the coronavirus, but also helped protect children from other respiratory viruses such as the flu.Indeed, the number of flu hit a record low 2020-2021 season. The number of children admitted to pediatric intensive care units with bronchiolitis and pneumonia also dropped sharply from April to June 2020.
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“People were still wearing masks, but when they started going out, they started seeing more rhinoviruses, enteroviruses, which people think can be transmitted by touching objects. But they were still wearing masks,” Blumberg said. We see some that are transmitted through the virus, so relatively normal rates of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other viruses.”
“They were indoors for a year and a half or two, so they weren’t exposed,” Karp said. “The virus is just waiting for them.
Dr. Harvey Karp, Pediatrician, Founder and CEO happy babytold Salon in the sense that the children are “making up for lost time.”
“They were indoors for a year and a half or two, so they weren’t exposed,” Karp said. “The virus is just waiting for them.
In fact, some people refer to this concept as “indemnity liability‘ or ‘immune gap’ to explain this phenomenon.
“But what this means is that we don’t have immunity to viruses that we haven’t seen in years, so we’re more susceptible to them,” says Monica, an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the University of California, School of Medicine. Dr. Gandhi says – San Francisco, told Salon by email.
But Gandhi said that even though these viruses returned to pre-pandemic levels, the severity of the virus may have worsened. Gandhi pointed out that it is possible. virus interference This is “the notion that COVID-19 has interfered with other viruses in the last few years, the usual viruses that circulate and cause respiratory illness.” Some patients say he may have two viruses at the same time, making him more serious.
Fortunately, experts are optimistic that the worst is over this winter.
“With increased susceptibility to other viruses, reduced viral interference from COVID-19, and this degree of herd immunity in the United States, there was a significant spike in RSV and influenza among children over the winter. , and now both are declining,” Gandhi said. “Children may still be susceptible to other respiratory viruses this season as our immune systems catch up.”
Gandhi added that there is a flu vaccine available up to six months of age.
“and, RSV vaccine for pregnant women will soon be available To protect the newborn,” Gandhi said.
