Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Preventive measures for “Covid-19”, which have been put in place to keep us safe over the past two and a half years, such as complete closure, physical distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands, have limited the spread of other viruses. As people return to school and work, and take off their masks, those viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus and influenza, are back in full swing.
The scientists considered that the “immunity gap” resulting from the past few years, is likely to have caused this “unprecedented” early spread of respiratory syncytial virus today, and this applies to other seasonal respiratory viruses that spread in the world.
“We’ve always had a history of respiratory syncytial virus and other respiratory diseases in the United States, so we know these very regular patterns of outbreak have been around,” said Rachel Baker, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at Brown University.
“Respiratory syncytial virus spreads annually in late fall and winter, often infecting young children. Then it disappears again during spring and summer, only to reappear the following winter,” Becker said. “It’s something that happens very regularly and is very predictable.”
Respiratory syncytial virus cases began appearing in the United States during the spring, and so far recorded the highest rate of 60% compared to the peak week in 2021, according to a CNN analysis, and these estimates may be lower than the actual rate.
In addition, the spread of the flu saw an increase in the number of cases across the United States, too, a little earlier than usual. A large number of students were absent in a few schools, and medical clinics noticed an increase in the number of infections with other respiratory viruses, at times that did not fit the usual patterns.
These uncommon patterns have been applied to other respiratory infections such as adenovirus, parainfluenza, and rhinovirus, which also circulate in other countries.
Scientists believe the pandemic’s unprecedented actions have also had unprecedented effects.
“Covid-19” preventive measures have limited the spread of other viruses
“Indeed, the degree of societal changes that accompanied the Covid pandemic is unprecedented in the modern era,” said Dr. Kevin Mesakar, assistant professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Colorado.
Similar to COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus and influenza are spread through droplets in the air when coughing or sneezing. Drops persist for hours on frequently touched surfaces, such as door handles and light switches.
So the people who washed their hands and disinfected surfaces, who wore masks and kept away from others, not only limited the spread of the Corona virus, but other viruses.
“While these interventions have been great for limiting the spread of COVID-19, they have also reduced the spread of other respiratory diseases such as respiratory syncytial virus and influenza,” Becker said.
Studies have shown a sudden decline in respiratory syncytial virus cases and hospitalizations during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, in addition to an unusually low prevalence of influenza. “It’s really amazing,” said Baker.
But as COVID-19 vaccines and treatments become available, more people are starting to return to school, work, and interact without masks. So they started exchanging germs too.
Understanding the immune gap
Children develop a natural immunity to viruses when they are exposed to them. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Control (CDC), most children contract RSV before their second birthday. Newborns, on the other hand, get some passive protection from their mothers, who pass on antibodies to them through breastfeeding.
However, the chance of children born during the pandemic, and those who surround them, catching this virus or other viruses, has decreased in the past two years. Thus their immunity is diminished or not formed at all. So when these youngsters and their parents started interacting with others, they became more likely to get sick.
This summer, Mesakar and Becker collaborated to write a commentary in this regard, published in the medical journal The Lancet, that “low exposure to endemic viruses created a gap in immunity, as a group of susceptible individuals evaded infection and thus lacked pathogen-specific immunity.” To protect against future infection.
They also warned hospitals of the need to be flexible and prepare for unpredictable respiratory seasons due to this gap.
“We knew it was inevitable that these diseases would return,” Misakar told CNN.
Baker commented: “We are currently witnessing a large spread of these viruses,” continuing that “they do not infect children, especially the newborn category, but rather older children.”
Becker and Mesakar do not believe that the early-season pattern of RSV will be regularizing soon, but rather that it will take some time to return to its predictable cycle.
“We’re going through a bit of a strange period right now, but I think in the next few years, we’ll see these viruses break out on a regular basis, but it’s related to what’s happening with Covid,” Becker said. If the coronavirus situation worsens to warrant necessary shutdowns, this could once again throw off the seasonality of other viruses.
Mesakar noted that with viruses like influenza, more factors are involved.
There’s no vaccine to protect you against respiratory syncytial virus, but there is a flu vaccine, so if the flu vaccine is suitable for the strain in circulation and enough people receive it, the country may avoid a spike in the number of cases similar to what we’re seeing with respiratory syncytial virus.
Noting that scientists are making a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, but it will not be available this season.
What to do?
Meanwhile, there are some very common things that need to be done to reduce the spread of RSV:
- cleaning hands.
- Keep frequently used surfaces clean.
- Sneeze or cough into a tissue or into your elbow instead of your hands.
- Boost immunity by getting plenty of sleep and eating a healthy diet.
- Wear a mask, especially when sick, and most importantly, stay home.