On November 4, experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that an earlier-than-usual outbreak of respiratory infections—particularly respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and in more recent weeks influenza—were stretching thin pediatric hospital capacity.
In interviews with JAMA, clinicians from around the country and across the spectrum of pediatric medicine shared how an unprecedented surge of RSV over the past months has affected patient care. “For us pediatricians, RSV is like COVID is for adults. This is our COVID,” said Asuncion Mejias, MD, PhD, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and associate professor at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.