You may have noticed the headlines in the past month or two. Kids, especially the littlest ones, have been increasingly at risk as we have seen more children admitted to the hospital for respiratory illnesses since August 2022.
For babies in the 0-6 month group, it is estimated that 1 in 500 has been admitted since October 2022 for RSV in the U.S. Less exposure to these viruses in previous years, decrease in protective measures like masking, risk of infection from multiple viruses (RSV, COVID-19, Flu to name a few), and increased vulnerability (little airways means more difficulty breathing when they are inflamed or blocked) have all contributed to this.
So what can we do?
We can still do our part. Remember that even if we don’t have vaccines yet (i.e. for RSV), we can still use non pharmaceutical interventions to help protect our children. Washing our hands and avoiding close contact with people who are sick (kissing, hand holding, sharing a drink, for example) helps. And more likely than not, ensuring good ventilation and using masks can not only stop transmission of COVID-19 but also the flu and RSV.
And for our little ones, here are a couple of videos to explain why we wear masks (please excuse our adorable cloth masks, we can use surgical masks or KN95s now!) and wash our hands.
Stay safe. Stay well.
Those Nerdy Girls
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