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 HIT 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 PRESCRIPTION FOR
TRYING TO STEM THE OUTBREAK
ESPECIALLY COMING INTO THE
HOLIDAYS?
>> WELL, ABSOLUTELY.
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.