An early start to flu season?

AJ Cabagbag | Student Life Editor

October 21, 2022

Health centers and emergency departments are experiencing a surge in hospitalizations, filling beds with patients fighting respiratory illnesses. This phenomena leaves hospitals overwhelmed with the mass amount of cases and healthcare professionals and specialists concerned with its unusual rate of infection. Although commonly assumed to be from Covid cases, the majority of the infections are surprisingly compiled of viruses other than Covid, like RSV, enterovirus, rhinovirus, and the flu. Symptoms range from trouble breathing to limb weakness.

This concerns illness specialists, as respiratory-illness rates usually reach their highs during the winter months, around November through January. According to Dr. Ibukun Kalu, a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases, “Rates are as high as 25% of those [who have] tested positive for RSV.” The concern had grown large enough that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued a health advisory as of September 9 about the “increases in pediatric hospitalizations in patients with severe respiratory illness who also tested positive for rhinovirus (RV) and/or enterovirus (EV).” When informed about this, Senior Jacques Balmefrezol said “Yeah, I’ve realized a lot more people getting sick in my classes earlier. Sometimes it feels like half of my class is gone because of it.” 

While most of those infected at San Clemente High School are staying at home, it is the hospitals that are facing the hardest conditions for the patients: They struggle with the issue of lacking supplies for the patients as well as trying to use those existing resources due to under-staffing. Junior Sofia Aliman said “I heard about how busy hospitals have been lately. I try my best just to be more aware and careful of getting sick.”

While affecting patients of all ages, these hospitalizations are mostly pediatric cases. Doctors suspect this trend to be because of their smaller airways, making it harder for viruses to clear out and air to come in after high inflammatory swelling.

Overall, the CDC and many healthcare specialists encourage a heightened awareness for this increasing rate, and advise everyone to be mindful of distance between people exhibiting symptoms and wash your hands.