% MILITARY BALLOTS.
% >> DON MILLIS, THANK YOU VERY
% MUCH.
% TURNING TO HEALTH NEWS THE RISE
% IN RSV ALONG WITH FLU AND COVID
% IN WISCONSIN HAVE HEALTH SYSTEMS
% FOREWARNING OF CAPACITY ISSUES
% AS HOSPITALS, EMERGENCY ROOMS
% AND CLINICS BECOME OVERLOADED.
% RSV AFFLICTS CHILDREN THE
% HARDEST.
% OVERALL RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES
% HAVE CAUSED HOSPITALS TO
% INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PEDIATRIC
% BEDS AND INTENSIVE CARE UNITS.
% STATEWIDE PEDIATRIC BEDS AND
% INTENSIVE CARE UNITS ARE 80 3ERS
% PERCENT FULL.
% DR. MICHAEL LANDRUM JOINS US
% FROM GREEN BAY.
% THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING
% HERE.
% >> HAPPY TO BE WITH YOU.
% >> WHAT IS THE SITUATION WHERE
% YOU ARE WITH ALL THIS?
% >> WE'RE ABOUT AT THE STATE
% AVERAGE WHERE WE'RE SEEING AN
% INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CASES
% ARE RSV IN CHILDREN AS WELL AS
% RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES IN ADULTS
% BUT WE HAVEN'T REACHED A
% CRITICAL LEVEL IN OUR CAPACITY
% RIGHT NOW.
% WE'VE BEEN EXPLORING OPTIONS FOR
% WHAT TO DO IF NUMBERS INCREASE.
% WE'RE ABLE TO MANAGE NOW WITH
% WHAT WE'VE SEEN NOW.
% >> THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THAT
% THREE SEVERE RESPIRATORY VIRUSES
% ARE CIRCULATING AT THE SAME TIME
% WITH SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN
% CASES.
% HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE
% THIS KIND OF TRIAD OF VIRUSES?
% >> NO, I CAN'T REMEMBER A TIME
% IN MY CAREER WHAT I'VE SEEN
% ANYTHING LIKE THIS.
% IT GOES ALONG WITH THE LAST
% THREE YEARS WITH THINGS THAT
% I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE ARE NOW
% HAPPENING.
% >> SO I UNDERSTAND RSV IS RATHER
% COMMON BUT THAT IT IS ACTING
% DIFFERENTLY THIS YEAR.
% LIKE IT STARTED EARLIER IN THE
% SEASON, IT MAY BE CAUSING MORE
% SEVERE INFECTION OR INFECTING A
% MORE VULNERABLE INFANT
% POPULATION.
% IS THAT RIGHT?
% >> THAT'S ALL CORRECT.
% WE ARE DEFINITELY SEEING MORE
% CASES THAN WE TYPICALLY SEE THIS
% TIME OF YEAR.
% USUALLY RSV WILL PEAK IN I WOULD
% SAY LATE DECEMBER, JANUARY,
% MAYBE IN FEBRUARY.
% AND SO WHILE WE CAN SEE CASES
% THIS TIME OF YEAR IN A TYPICAL
% OR MORE NORMAL YEAR, WE'RE
% SEEING A LOT MORE THAN WE
% TYPICALLY DO THIS TIME OF YEAR
% AND THAT'S WHAT'S CONCERNING.
% WE DON'T KNOW WILL THINGS
% CONTINUE TO INCREASE AND WE
% WON'T REACH OUR PEAK UNTIL A
% COUPLE MONTHS FROM NOW, OR WILL
% THIS PEAK EARLY AND THEN FADE
% AWAY EARLY?
% SO WE'RE SEEING A LOT MORE
% DISEASE RIGHT NOW THAN WE
% TYPICALLY DO.
% >> WHAT ABOUT IN THE INFANT
% POPULATION?%IS THAT BEING HI
T PARTICULARLY
% HIDE AS WE'VE BEEN READING IN
% OTHER AREAS?
% >> RSV IN GENERAL IS WORSE FOR
% YOUNG CHILDREN AND INFANTS.
% THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE
% HOSPITALIZED WITH IT.
% THAT IS TYPICAL FOR MOST YEARS
% THAT WE DO SEE THE MOST SEVERE
% CASES IN THOSE YOUNG CHILDREN.
% >> SHOULD PEOPLE BE TESTED TO
% DETERMINE WHICH VIRUS THEY ARE
% SICK WITH?
% >> I WOULD SAY WE ARE TESTING
% PATIENTS THAT WE SEE, BOTH
% CHILDREN AND ADULTS, FOR A
% NUMBER OF RESPIRATORY VIRUSES.
% IT IS UP TO THE CLINICAL
% JUDGMENT OF THE PROVIDER SEEING
% THE PATIENT AT THE TIME.
% WE DO A WIDE RANGE OF TESTING
% AND MUCH MORE TESTING AVAILABLE
% NOW EVEN THAN WE DID A FEW YEARS
% AGO SO THAT IS BETTER.
% MOST OF THESE INFECTIONS ARE FOR
% RSV IN PARTICULAR THE END TO BE
% MILD AND THINGS THAT CAN BE
% MANAGED AT HOME AND YOU DON'T
% NEED TO RUSH IN AND GET TESTED
% FOR THAT REASON SPECIFICALLY.
% HOWEVER, IF YOUR CHILD IS
% UNCHARACTERISTICALLY SICK AND
% HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING,
% PARTICULARLY YOUNG AND
% VULNERABLE THAT'S WHEN YOU WANT
% TOO CALL YOUR PEDIATRICIAN AND
% FAMILY PHYSICIAN AND SEE WHAT
% THEY COME IN AND GETTING
% EVALUATED AND POTENTIALLY
% TESTED.
% >> SO CONTINUING COVID, FLU AND
% RSV IS THE THOUGHT THAT
% ISOLATION AND MASKING OVER THE
% PAST TWO YEARS LEFT PEOPLE
% VULNERABLE?
% >> THAT IS, YOU KNOW, THE THEORY
% THAT'S BEING CIRCULATED.
% RSV, FLU, RESPIRATORY VIRUSES IN
% GENERAL ARE THINGS THAT ARE VERY
% COMMON AND PEOPLE GET YEAR TO
% YEAR.
% SO OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS AS
% WE'VE BEEN MASKING AND SOCIAL
% DISTANCING WE HAVEN'T BEEN
% EXPOSED TO THESE THINGS FOR A
% WHILE.
% SO OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM IN TERMS OF
% FIGHTING THESE OFF IN THE
% OVERALL COMMUNITY AND THE
% POPULATION IS A LITTLE BIT LOWER
% AGAINST THESE THINGS SO IT CAN
% LEAD TO MORE TRANSMISSION, MORE
% CASES AND PERHAPS MORE SEVERE
% CASES.%>> WHAT'S THE PRESCRIP
TION FOR
% TRYING TO STEM THE OUTBREAK
% ESPECIALLY COMING INTO THE
% HOLIDAYS?%>> WELL, ABSOLUTEL
Y.
% I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT
% QUESTION.
% REALLY IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO
% GET VACCINATED FOR FLU OR TO GET
% VACCINATED FOR COVID-19, WHETHER
% IT IS YOUR INITIAL IMMUNIZATION
% OR TO GET A BOOSTER, PLEASE DO
% SO.
% THE VACCINES DON'T PREVENT ANY
% INFECTION FROM OCCURRING.
% YOU CAN STILL GET A AN INFECTION
% BUT MAKE IT LESS SEVERE.
% THIS YEAR PRELIMINARY
% INFORMATION FROM THE CDC
% SUGGESTS THE FLU VACCINE IS A
% GOOD MATCH FOR THE STRAINS WE'RE
% SEEING CAUSING A LOT OF CASES
% RIGHT NOW EARLY IN THE FLU
% SEASON.
% SO PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE GO AND
% GET VACCINATED.
% THAT WILL HELP PROTECT YOU AND
% PROTECTS OTHERS AROUND YOU AND
% IT HELPS OUR HEALTH SYSTEM FROM
% GETTING OVERLOADED WITH ALL
% THESE RESPIRATORY DISEASES.