Christine Hartford, M.D.
Newswise — Pediatrician Christine Hartford, M.D., assistant professor at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM), is available to discuss immunity debt -- the idea that the current rise of pediatric RSV cases suggests children’s immune systems are “catching up” to the typical childhood viruses.
As Hartford notes, children who may not have been exposed to various viruses for the past few years may now be at risk for infection.
“Kids were isolated and wore masks for so long, which was incredibly important to slow the spread of COVID, and we benefited from the fact that flu and RSV were very mild as well. Now, none of those kids are immune. They weren’t exposed to RSV like they normally would have been. You now have this population that hasn’t been exposed to RSV, so it’s hitting them all at the same time. The increase of cases has also meant an increase in hospitalizations, which is very concerning,” says Hartford, who is a faculty member at NYITCOM's Jonesboro, Ark. location.
She believes we could be in for an unusual winter, especially considering what’s already happening this early in the season. She’s also concerned about the number of individuals who will be infected with multiple viruses - such as influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 – at the same time.
RSS