BROOKINGS COVID, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), and influenza: Were seeing plenty of it right now in Brookings County and even here at the (Brookings) Health System, said Bunny Christie, infection preventionist for the Brookings Health System.
She holds a masters degree in infection disease microbiology and has been with BHS for 11 years. Christie explained that CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), a government agency, mandates that facilities such as the Brookings Health System have an infection prevention program.
Her job includes monitoring for infectious and communicable diseases, ensuring compliance with policies and procedures that revolve around communicable diseases and being part of the team that cares for patients with communicable diseases.
Christie explained that in caring for infectious diseases, the treatment regimen is driven for each patient as an individual: Some people who are immunized and get sick sometimes need more supportive care than just what you can get over the counter or maybe from your primary care provider. You may need to come to the hospital. Youll find that in really elderly folks or in really small children.
Weve seen plenty of small children come in with RSV the past couple of weeks. That is not shocking after the holidays for a lot of respiratory illnesses to peak, because people have all been together. We also see some times when its really cold outside, of course like were seeing right now, the respiratory illnesses peak as well a couple of weeks after because everybodys been stuck indoors.
Again, some of those people have to come to the hospital because they need something beyond what they can get from their primary care provider or what they can get over the counter. They may need supplemental oxygen; maybe in extreme cases they might need ventilation.
Sometimes they might need additional antimicrobials to treat viruses, funguses and bacteria, which are the three major players when were talking about communicable disease. Sometimes they can get a secondary pneumonia or some problems with your lungs that you may need antibiotics or steroids for. You wouldnt be able to pick those things up over the counter.
Christie explained that COVID, RSV and influenza are all viruses, but they do not fall under the same family and they do function a little bit differently when they hijack our bodies and our cells. But they all have basically the same mode of infection and can be shedding their viruses, via droplet transmission, several days before symptoms appear. Transmission can occur via talk, exhaling, coughing and sneezing. The viruses an also be spread via the eyes from droplets on fingers that touched surfaces where the viruses were present and then touched the face.
Shots still great idea
There has been an increase in the COVID numbers following the two-week Christmas/New Year holiday period. However, Christie noted, Thankfully, we have only seen a handful of patients with a co-infection of both COVID and influenza. Not as many yet as last years numbers, so were hoping that stays low. But we have a couple months to go yet.
Turning to RSV in children, she noted there has been an increase in numbers, but noting that (2023) was a pretty harsh year. We had a lot of ill children to take care of. She added that RSV immunizations are available and to check with your primary care provider.
Other cold-like respiratory illnesses being seen at the Brookings Health System include coronavirus and meta-influenza.
Especially at risk for the inventory of respiratory ailments are people with active cancer, organ transplant recipients, small children, pregnant women and the elderly.
Christie noted that a new COVID vaccine came out in the late September/early October 2023 timeframe: COVID 2023/2024 vaccine. She explained the possibility that new COVID vaccines could become a seasonal thing. That would be similar to the way influenza vaccines are typically changed from year-to-year. And Christie strongly advocates for all the vaccinations that provide yet another tool in the battle against upper respiratory diseases.
And for those wanting to test for COVID, kits are available via the Brookings County Development Department. Director/Emergency Manager Robert Hill said that his office will continue to pursue additional testing kits when the present supply is exhausted. Contact his office at 605-696-8350 to check availability of the kits and where to pick them up. Some older testing kits had their expiration dates extended but those dates have now also expired. Those kits should be disposed of.
Masks, hand sanitizers
Influenza A can actually be spread through all sorts of different vectors: It can be animal, human, and probably with other things I dont even know about. Viruses just want to keep proliferating, Christie explained. Thats their job. They dont care who the host is. Theyll keep changing so they can evade the hosts defense.
Christie explained briefly and in laymans terms how the annual influenza vaccine is a vice-versa, back-and-forth development and sharing between health care agencies in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. And those developments are tied to the annual efficacy of the vaccine.
She expressed some frustration with those who tell her about the low efficacy that the flu vaccine has demonstrated some years: Well that might not be the case for this year. But it might not also be the case that we saw down the Southern Hemisphere; we have time to tweak it and change it in the Northern Hemisphere before we receive our vaccine. Vice-versa our season October through March, the Southern Hemisphere will look to the Northern Hemisphere and maybe change its vaccine.
Christie explained that even when the annual flu vaccine has a low efficacy, it can provide some antibodies. Even if its not completely 100% effective, you still have some antibodies onboard that can help make your course of illness less and the severity of your illness less. The same goes for the COVID vaccine. Youll get less sick if you have some antibodies on board.
She added that there are now occasions when preventive measures above and beyond basic hygiene were talking masking and hand sanitizers might be appropriate. If people are going to be in public places that dont have good ventilation, where they cant socially distance from other people, absolutely put that mask back on.
Contact John Kubal at [email protected].
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