Doctors seeing rise in RSV cases; increase in flu cases expected

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Officials say respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, could be on the rise.

At least 33 states are seeing an uptick in the upper respiratory virus that is most common in children.

In the ArkLaTex, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. John Vanchiere says they are starting to see some hospitalizations.

He says cases typically go up during winter months, but cases were down when people were wearing masks.

”During the time of the height of the COVID, the first two years when people were wearing masks, our rates of RSV were very low. Then we saw a little bump last summer of RSV, and we rarely see it in the summer. So there are a lot of things that have changed because of our mask wearing and our other mitigation strategies. We are seeing an increase in RSV slowly,” said Vanchiere.

He says he also estimates there will be a rise in flu cases soon.

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